Repairs total nearly $100,000 for two city departments

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Next time you end up with a big repair bill at your home or office, you might think about the City of Greencastle.

In a special meeting taking less than 10 minutes Tuesday evening, the Board of Works spent nearly $100,000 on repair projects for two departments.

A $32,065 expense was approved for the fire department to drop a new motor in its 2009 Pierce rescue truck known as Rescue 1, while a $65,539 expenditure will replace all 132 ultraviolet (UV) underwater lamps at the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP).

Both expenditures were approved unanimously by board members Trudy Selvia, Craig Tuggle and Mayor Bill Dory.

Fire Chief John Burgess explained that when the department sent Rescue 1 in for repairs in September, it was determined that the motor needed to be rebuilt.

However, when mechanics got into the engine, it was obvious from the wear and tear on the inside that the motor would need to be replaced.

“The block was too deteriorated,” Burgess said of the 12-year-old truck.

The work order from MacQueen Emergency, a Cummins Engine repair shop in Aurora, Ill., shows work will include replacing the short block (including pistons, liners and crankcase) and installing a new cylinder head. Mechanics will have to remove the engine and tear down to the short block, removing and installing transmission, driveshaft, two PTO shafts, exhaust pipe and PTO covers, the work order noted.

Chief Burgess said GFD had to go with Cummins rather than another company because changing motor models would mean replacing the transmission and likely altering how it fits into the Cummins chassis at additional expense.

Meanwhile, replacement of the UV lamps at the wastewater treatment plant will be a special procurement from Trojan UV of London, Ontario, Canada, which did the original installation when the WTTP was built.

The initial system cost $300,000 WWTP Superintendent Oscar King said, adding that Trojan UV is giving the city “a break because they don’t want another system going in there,” he reasoned.

Mayor Dory explained that the bulbs are in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week, underwater in the waterflow as the last step in the process of killing bacteria.

“They see a lot of abuse being underwater all the time,” he added.

The Board of Works will next meet in regular session at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 at City Hall.

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  • Big cost to the taxpayers. These expenses make you wonder about the quality of maintenance, and whether that was questioned in the meeting.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Sun, Nov 14, 2021, at 10:18 AM
  • For some who dont understand, the engine replacement is a lot cheaper then buying a new apparatus

    -- Posted by Leonard47 on Sun, Nov 14, 2021, at 10:53 AM
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