Street sweeper purchase OK'd (4/8/05)

The streets of Portland will be a little cleaner, thanks to a decision by the Portland Board of Works Thursday morning.

The board approved the purchase of a new street sweeper for the street department. The 2005 Johnston 2J3000 mechanical street sweeper will replace the department’s current sweeper, which is almost 24 years old.

The street sweeper will be purchased from Brown Equipment Co. Inc. of Fort Wayne for $114,000, which includes a $10,000 price reduction for the trade in of the city’s Elgin Pelican sweeper.

As part of the purchase, board members signed a single source for supply agreement, which lets the street department purchase the sweeper without taking any other bids.

Normally, if the equipment is expected to cost $75,000 or more, the city has to go through a bidding process, Blackford said this morning.

The Indiana Code states if it is determined that there is only one source for acquiring this particular model, the city doesn’t have to take bids, city attorney Bill Hinkle said this morning.

Brown Equipment is the only Johnston dealer in the state, Portland street and park department superintendent Jeff Harker said. He added the new sweeper will be safer for the street department employees who drive it.

The department’s current sweeper has a collection chamber in the front. In order for the driver to see where he is going, he has to stick his head out of the window. Harker said the new sweeper has a collection chamber in the back so it will be easier for the driver to see where he is going.

The new sweeper also will be more comfortable for his employees, Harker said. It has heating, air conditioning and a defrost system for the windows. The driver also won’t have to inhale as much fumes and dust because the collection chamber will be in the back, he said. The new sweeper also should be more economical on fuel consumption and do a better job of cleaning the streets, Harker said.

“It’s just much better all the way around,” he said. The sweeper was ordered Thursday and should arrive in about 60 days.

Also Thursday, the board:

•Voted to replace one pump and repair another at the Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant.

City clerk-treasurer Barbara Blackford said the Flygt pump at the plant needs to be repaired. It serves as a back-up pump for two other pumps, she said. The board accepted a $13,900 bid by The Henry P. Thompson Co. of Milford, Ohio to replace the pump.

The same company also bid $14,418 to make several repairs to the pump. The board decided to replace the pump because it was cheaper than repairing it, Blackford said.

The board also accepted a $7,800 bid by Applied Metals and Machine Works of Fort Wayne to repair a Chicago backwash pump at the plant. Blackford said this is the first time the pump has needed to be repaired since it was installed in 1980.

Blackford said the board had Applied Metals look at the pump to see if it needed to be replaced. The company determined the pump needs several repairs, but didn’t need to be replaced.

•Accepted a $16,400 bid by K & L Tractor Sales Inc. of Fort Recovery for a New Holland skid loader for the wastewater treatment plant.

The plant will trade in the Allis Chalmers tractor it is currently using to dig and move large objects. Blackford said the tractor is 20 years old. The skid loader will be easier to work with and can maneuver easier through narrow spaces, she said.

•Decided to postpone making a decision on a request from the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association to close North Morton Street Aug. 20-29 for the antique engine and tractor show.

The board wants Portland Police Chief Bob Sours to talk with X-Plex Extreme Competition Park LLC owner Glynn Barber about events planned at the park which could be affected if the street is closed.

Blackford said the board felt it wouldn’t be fair to close down Morton Street if there would be events at Barber’s park on those dates. A decision will be made at a later date, she said.[[In-content Ad]]