Council authorizes purchase of new street sweeper using NEORSD funds

by Melissa Martin

March 19 city council meeting

Brecksville City Council passed a resolution to share the cost of a new street sweeper with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. The city’s existing sweeper was damaged during a fire in the city’s service garage Feb. 25.

The Booker Victor 65 Tango sweeper will cost $327,349 and be purchased in part with funds from the NEORSD. That money will be used to offset out-of-pocket costs.

The sweeper qualifies for these funds because its primary purpose is to keep streets clean, which reduces water runoff and improve stormwater quality, Service Department Foreman Matt Thomas said.

“From a financial perspective, this bridges the gap between the depreciated value of the old one, which is far, far less than the replacement cost,” he added. “So it keeps city hall from having to access too much from the insurance company.”

Mayor Daryl Kingston said the city negotiated $10,000 off the purchase price for allowing surrounding communities to test drive the vehicle in April and May. He said the city became aware that at least two other communities were seeking to purchase a similar vehicle. To help facilitate a sale, the city will allow those communities to borrow the vehicle for a few days at a time to test the equipment.

“To help save taxpayers’ dollars, we don’t leave any stone unturned,” Kingston said.

Karpinski Engineering will design and coordinate new 480-volt service to the city’s new vehicle maintenance shop, which was relocated from the service garage to the recycling building after the Feb. 25 fire. Thomas said electric service to the garage was canceled after the fire, and vehicle maintenance is operating on a 65,000-watt generator.

Having to rely on the generator, Thomas said, has placed a strain on service department operations.

Kingston plans to submit the invoice for the purchase to Brecksville’s insurance provider as part of the claim for the fire. He said the city is uncertain whether the cost will be covered, because the new electrical service would be considered an upgrade.

“It’s a deficiency we have at the service department that we’d like to upgrade anyway,” Kingston said.

Council approved a $5,812 grant to replace the water fountains in city hall with water bottle refilling stations.

Thomas said the drinking fountains were removed during the COVID-19 pandemic to discourage the spread of the virus. The water bottle refilling stations should lessen the use of single-use water bottles, reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.

The grant funds cover the replacement of two water bottle refill stations at a cost of $2,906 each. Council also allocated another $500 for the purchase of miscellaneous materials needed to install the stations. ∞