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Date: 2/28/2023
EASTHAMPTON — At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Finance Committee moved 10 supplemental appropriations for the DPW forward to the City Council. Eight of those will be presented for public hearing at the March 1 City Council meeting, while the other two will be at the March 15 meeting.
Among the appropriations is $120,000 from the capital stabilization fund to purchase two new trucks for the highway division. Although the city is hoping to move the city’s vehicles to hybrid or electric vehicles in the future, that is simply not an option at this time.
“We’d love these to be hybrid or electric,” said Councilor Daniel Rist, chair of the Finance Committee. “Nobody’s making those medium duty trucks.”
The two new Ford F-350 trucks will replace 1994 and 2007 model year trucks, so they will be inherently better for the environment simply based on increased efficiency in newer vehicles. They will also require significantly less maintenance and fewer repairs than the trucks they replace.
“Even though it’s a gas truck, it’s still a lot better,” noted Rist.
Greg Nuttelman, director of Public Works, added that the older trucks really start to rust and wear out as they endure the harsh New England seasons.
The committee also approved $100,000 for gas and diesel costs for the city. Rist noted that this is to cover a “massive increase in pricing” that is affecting cities and residents.
In addition, $78,068 will be used to replace about 400 feet of a sewer pipe from 1897 that was discovered during the planning of the Union St. – Payson Ave. infrastructure project. Although it has held up so far, Nuttelman explained that it was important to replace the pipe relatively soon.
The committee also moved forward with $65,000 to get rid of street sweeping waste that must be sampled and then appropriately disposed of and $25,000 to hire a custodian for the Council on Aging and City Hall buildings. The final appropriation for the March 1 public hearing will be $4700 for an FY22 bill for salt which came in after the end of the fiscal year.
Also approved for public hearing on March 15 was $50,000 for various costs at City Hall and the public safety complex. This will cover plumbing repairs, floor cleaning machines, and other maintenance at both buildings. In addition, $20,000 was approved for the annual costs of electronic vehicle and bicycle charging stations.