Peters Township replaces decade-old public works trucks

Two decade-old trucks, including one used for plowing snow, are being replaced in Peters Township.
Council on July 9 approved the purchases of a pickup and dump truck, both 2018 Fords, and related accessories.
In February, council awarded contracts for a pair of Ram vehicles at the recommendation of public works director Joseph Hursen for that particular brand.
Fiat Chrysler, which produces the vehicles, is in the process of transferring some of its truck production from Saltillo, Mexico, to its Warren, Mich., assembly plant, a move that’s good news for the Detroit-area economy but one that has caused complications, according to township manager Paul Lauer.
“The problem is that Dodge,” he said, referring to the brand by which Ram once was marketed, “won’t even take the order or give any indication as to when, if in fact you wait, how long you wait for that truck.”
As a result, TriStar Auto Group of Blairsville, the low bidder for the two trucks through COSTARS, the state’s cooperative purchasing program, has come up with Fords as alternatives.
The township’s 2018 capital improvement program appropriated a total of $165,000 for replacement-related purchases, including $70,000 for a new pickup truck equipped with a snow plow.
Replacing a 2008 Chevrolet truck with 92,500 miles is a new four-wheel-drive Ford F-350 crew cab, at a cost of $51,125. The cost of a plow and frame for it is $7,500, purchased from Walsh Truck Equipment of Prospect.
The cab and chassis for a new Ford F-550 dump truck, purchased for $48,477, replaces a 2008 version of the same model that has 50,500 miles on the odometer. Lauer said the price is slightly lower than it would have been for a Ram.
Walsh is supplying the aluminum dump body for $46,500, making the total for the truck and body less than the $95,000 budgeted.
In other business July 9, council:
- Approved an amendment to the township’s Act 537 Sewage Facility Plan so as to provide access to services for the Hamlet of Peters Phase 7 plan of lots.
Council approved the preliminary plan for the development, which calls for 21 single-family homes on 15.05 acres with a price range of $450,000 to $650,000, on June 25. The anticipated flow rate is 8,400 gallons per day, to be conveyed to the Clairton Municipal Authority’s waste-water treatment plant.
Officials representing two downstream municipalities, South Park Township and Jefferson Hills Borough, submitted letters affirming that the additional flow probably would not be a cause of overflow within the next five years.
- Aw
- arded a $26,000 contract to Loftus Engineers LLC of Kennedy Township for design services related to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at the municipal building.
The firm will prepare bid specifications for replacing the building’s boiler and resolve problems with forced air in council chambers.
A total of $80,000 has been budgeted for the project. Design and engineering work is anticipated this year and construction in 2019.