The Starke County Maintenance Department will have more ease in clearing off snow from the sidewalks and parking lots at the county annex buildings thanks to a decision by the commissioners last week.
Since the Starke County Highway Department can no longer do the work due to certain restrictions on funds, it is up to the maintenance department to do the work or hire an outside company to do the work.
Maintenance Director Jim Coad collected quotes from contractors to remove the snow, but he thought a more cost-effective measure would be to allow his department to do the work. With that, he presented the commissioners with a quote for a Kubota RTV with a 78” snowblade and a 66” snow blower.
He noted that the sidewalks are too narrow to accommodate the snow blade attachment so that was removed from consideration.
The commissioners approved a quote of $28,181.75 to purchase the RTV from Rigg’s Outdoor Power Equipment in Valparaiso. Commission President Charlie Chesak commented that it’s a lot of money, but it will serve the purpose of the county in the long run.
