North Wales votes ahead new vehicles

A major makeover is on the way for North Wales Borough’s vehicle fleet.

Council voted this week to acquire several new vehicles, thanks to a state grant secured earlier this year.

“The life expectancy of this bunch of equipment we’re buying is minimum 15 years: 10 to 15 on the trucks, and 15-plus on the equipment,” said borough Manager Christine Hart.

Last fall council approved an $8.6 million budget for 2025 with several capital projects, including road paving projects currently being assessed by the town’s engineer, renovations to the town-owned church and office at 125 N. Main Street that are now nearly complete, and purchases of several vehicles for the Public Works department using a $360,000 state grant announced in late October and formally accepted in late January.

Since that vote, Hart told council on Tuesday night, she and staff have done their homework, finalizing an order of several used vehicles with low mileage or usage through the state’s COSTARS joint bidding program.

“We met with all of the dealers through COSTARS, we made several visits, and looked at the equipment we’re looking to procure,” Hart said.

Two model year 2023 Ford F-350 dump trucks will be bought from a dealer in Montgomery Township and outfitted with snow plows, salt spreaders and safety lights, along with an F-250 that will be outfitted with a snow plow, according to the manager: “I know we’re in 2025, but we’re saving an enormous amount of money, and getting the same bang for our buck,” she said.

In addition to the three trucks, the town will also obtain a Kubota utility vehicle, a skid steerer, and a loader, all able to operate on the town’s streets and in parks in case conditions demand.

“We’ve been fortunate in the past two or three years with just nuisance snows, but we can all go back to the days of 20 or 30 inches — this will come in handy” during such storms, the manager said.

All of the vehicles will replace older models currently used by staff, and those older vehicles will likely be listed online for sale once the new ones arrive.

    North Wales Borough residents and parks board members took part in a cleanup of Hess Park on Nov. 13, 2021. (Photo courtesy of North Wales Borough)
  

Council President Sal Amato asked how any sale proceeds would be spent, and Hart said it would go back into the town’s capital equipment fund, likely for future vehicle purchase, depending on the outcome of another grant application currently awaiting response that could fund a new street sweeper.

“We also have other departments: the chief is in desperate need of another police car, that we’ll probably budget for in 2026, so hopefully the proceeds go toward that,” Hart said.

Councilwoman Sarah Whelan asked what type of fuel the vehicles would use, and Hart said the heavy equipment is all diesel, since no such electric vehicles are available, while the trucks will use gasoline instead of the diesel their predecessors used.

North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on May 13 at borough hall, 300 School Street; for more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.

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