Winamac Town Council members approved the purchase of a Digger Derrick Truck for the Electric Department when they met Monday night. Town Manager Brad Zellers explained that Digger Derrick Trucks are utilized by electric departments to dig holes for light posts.
Zeller explained that initially, they wanted to go with the least expensive truck bid which was submitted by the company Altec. However, he said they had issues getting anybody from that company to come out to go over the details of the sale. Councilwoman Judy Heater said she felt that things have recently changed with Altec and the way the company runs things. Electric Department Superintendent Doug Shorter explained that they were bought out and now they’re now run by a bigger company.
Since Altec didn’t send any representatives to the town despite multiple requests from the town manager and the electric department superintendent, Zellers recommended the middle bid by Utility Truck Equipment (U.T.E) instead. The price for the recommended truck was $258,960.
The council members voted unanimously to accept Zeller’s recommendation and approved the purchase of the truck from U.T.E.
