Paul Skrede, Jon Monson, Public Works Supervisor Jerry Hudlow and City Administrator Dana Young

The Committee reviewed the progress of the construction work on the shed that will be used as the pumphouse for the new well. Jon Monson and Paul Skrede advised the electrician to skip using conduit and run the electrical wiring above the ceiling and in the wall in order to feed the light fixtures and wall switches. The electrician thought that the request might take an additional two hours of work.

Further discussion was held regarding the plan to remove a portion of the blacktop around the rear door of City Hall and its potential impact on the City Hall parking lot.

The Committee reviewed the proposed costs on a new water truck chassis, a toro mower and a blacktop roller.

Water Truck Chassis – Jerry Hudlow stated that he would like to replace the existing water truck chassis and install our existing water tank on the new chassis. He stated that the water tank is still in good condition and the cost to purchase a new water tank rather than retrofit the old water tank would be an additional $15,000.00. It was noted that the truck was built in 1984 and the City purchased it used in 1994. Jerry Hudlow stated that the water truck is used to water flowers at the parks and beaches, water the ice rinks and pump wastewater when there is a problem with a lift station.

Jon Monson stated that he felt the water truck was somewhat of a luxury as opposed to a snowplow, which he viewed as a necessity for public works operations. Paul Skrede stated that he disagreed and felt that the water truck served an important public works function. This function was even more critical by the fact that the water truck served as a replacement for a public water system.

The Committee reviewed the following bids that were taken from off of the State Contract on the cost of a truck chassis, additional options and the changeover costs:

Dana Young stated that the total 2004 budget for the purchase of street equipment was only $65,000.00. This amount had been budgeted for the replacement of the water truck chassis, toro mower and blacktop roller. He stated that the budget for the water truck had been established at only $20,000.00 because it was assumed that the truck would be replaced with a used vehicle.

Toro Mower – Jerry Hudlow stated that he had received a bid in the amount of $28,127.72 from MTI Distributing for a new Toro Groundsmaster 328-D. He stated that the bid, like the water truck chassis, was obtained off of the State Contract. Jerry Hudlow stated that MTI was offering $3,500.00 for our old 1994 Toro but stated that he would prefer to keep the old mower to assist with the mowing and stated that he could sell it at a later date for around the same amount offered by MTI.

Jon Monson stated that if the old mower were in good enough condition to keep that it might be premature to purchase a new mower. He stated that he felt we should keep the old mower until its useful life had ended and asked staff to find out how quickly a new mower could be purchased if they old mower suddenly died.

Blacktop Roller – Jerry Hudlow stated that he had obtained a bid for a blacktop roller in the amount of $12,629.00 from Ruffridge-Johnson Equipment Company, Inc. to replace the 1978 roller. He stated that this bid had also been obtained from off of the State Contract.

The Committee recommended the purchase of the water truck chassis in the amount of $53,077.38, the blacktop roller in the amount of $12,629.00 and recommended that the purchase of a Toro Mower be postponed for this year in order to adhere to the 2004 street equipment budget of $65,000.00.

The meeting adjourned at 3:10 p.m.