Broome Says No to Rush Truck

BROOME - At the latest Broome Town Board meeting, members deliberated over a decision to purchase a new truck for the highway department this year.

After the department’s 2001 truck suffered a few major issues, Highway Superintendent Jason Wayman has been on the lookout for a replacement.

He was previously advised by Supervisor Bill Smith to steer clear of their usual company contacts, as they have infamously been looking at a delivery schedule anywhere from two years to four years for commissioned vehicles.

After searching around, Superintendent Wayman found the cheapest option to be based out of Pennsylvania, with an asking price of $337,815 for a ten-wheeler Western Star.

And yet, although the truck in question checked all of the boxes, the company warned that a decision had to be made by the end of next week in order to be scheduled for an October delivery.

Bringing the specs before the Board, members were hesitant to sign off on the new purchase right away. 

While Supervisor Smith sympathized with Superintendent Wayman, bringing forward his own experience as a highway superintendent, both councilmen Carter Warner and Dale Vance thought that the price was steep.

“We should be looking at other brands,” said Mr. Warner, wanting to compare the asking price to other signature names in the trucking industry, like International.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vance wanted to keep the 2001 truck in good condition, saying “If you refurbish that truck, complete back to front, nuts and bolts, what are we looking at?”

While Superintendent Wayman didn’t have a figure off the top of his head, Supervisor Smith noted that a repair job could add another ten years of life onto the truck, but it would have to be replaced eventually.

And yet, they were not swayed. “I don’t doubt the need, but I’m not making a rush decision,” said Mr. Warner. “Go out and get some more information on other brands and then we’ll see.”

The rest of the Board followed their two leading voices, postponing a new truck purchase until Superintendent Wayman could get back with more research.