Waste district to buy truck

HOULTON — After considerable debate, the board of directors of the Southern Aroostook Solid Waste Disposal District voted to purchase a new truck for snowplowing and collection of recycled materials at district recycling depots.

Based on bids received for snowplowing and for collection, the board decided that in the long term it would be less expensive for the district to purchase a truck and continue to have the district to do the work with its own personnel.

Bids for hauling the trailer ranged from $450, based on 300 to 350 miles, to a high of $750 a week.

Bids submmitted for snowplowing were for $45 an hour and for $50 a trip.

The board voted to purchase a 1992 Ford F250 four-wheel-drive pick-up truck from York-Ford Toyota of Houlton for its low bid of $16,700.

A motion to purchase an 8-foot snowplow at the best possible price also was approved.

SASWDD Executive Director David Wittner had been towing the district’s recycling trailer with his pickup truck but said he would be unable to continue. Until the new truck is received in six to eight weeks, Jack Carmichael, board member from Ludlow, will tow the trailer with his truck.

The board also gave approved seismic and resistivity testing at the proposed regional landfill site in Hammond Plantation.

Wittner said that the tests were required by the Department of Environmental Protection in order to develop a profile of the bedrock at the site. He said the testing must be completed before significant frost is in the ground and before any other site tests can be done.

The work will be performed by Civil Engineering Service of Brewer; S.P. Cole Engineering Inc. of Bangor; and F.M. Beck Inc. of Yarmouth. The total cost of the testing is not to exceed $11,500.