LIVERMORE — Selectpersons approved several purchases for the Highway Department on Monday.
The town will pay $50,000 for a 2020 plow truck chassis from O’Connor GMC in Augusta. The price was set after a trade-in of $14,500 for a 2008 GMC.
The initial quote from O’Connor was $64,500.
HP Fairfield in Skowhegan bid $63,000 for the body, the plow and other accessories to complete the vehicle.
On Aug. 11 at the Town Meeting referendum, voters approved borrowing $125,000 to purchase a plow truck and $80,000 for a used loader.
On Aug. 17, selectpersons voted 2-2 to buy the truck, but the tie meant the motion failed. Mark Chretien and Scott Richmond were in favor; Tracey Martin and Brett Deyling were opposed. Selectperson Benjamin Guild was absent.
On Monday, Chretien said, “I spoke with Quirk, couldn’t get a 2020. We can’t order a 2021 until November.”
“O’Connor realized it was a bid,” Ferland said. “They thought it was a budget. They gave us an actual price on the ’08 the next day.”
“That will give us more than enough money,” Richmond said.
Ferland said he’s waiting to hear from Fairfield whether they will offer the other parts of the truck for less than originally quoted.
“They start with a budget number, then when they realize you’re serious, they give a bid number. It drops from what I’ve seen,” he said.
The board approved spending $80,000 on a reclaimed 2013 loader through United Rental.
“They bought it new,” Ferland said. “All service records have been relayed over the phone to me. It had one $800 issue back in 2015, other than that, no other issues.”
The loader has 3,440 hours of use and is the best one seen, he said.
“I’ve talked with a bunch of contractors, didn’t expect to find one at that price. They think it’s a very good deal,” Richmond said. They would value it at $90,000 to $95,000 for the condition it’s in, he added.
“Everything I’ve seen is rusted out,” Ferland said. “This one has never been in salt.”
Martin expressed concern about not being involved in discussions about the loader.
“When do I get to be part of the picture?” she asked.
Guild said he saw the loader for the first time when he went to the town garage to see Ferland.
The loader was delivered Wednesday to try out, Ferland said, adding he would have called Martin about it if he knew how to reach her.
Martin provided her phone number.
The board also approved RS Pidacks’ bid of $7.25 per yard for 2,500 yards of sand. Hillside Excavation submitted a bid of $9 per yard.
Richmond asked if the price included putting it in the sand shed. Ferland said it does.
“It’s hard to beat them at this point in time,” he added.
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