By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The decision to move forward with the Great Bend STAR Bond Project Plan during last Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting may have stolen the headlines, but several other agenda items carried large costs and importance for other city departments. The council also approved equipment purchases totaling nearly $585,000. Public Works Director David Dunekack presented the need for a used 2019 Ford F750 dump truck.
“With replacement parts becoming increasingly difficult to locate for older dump trucks in the public works fleet, staff believe it is necessary to begin updating aging equipment,” he said. “Staff contacted United Rentals in Hays to locate a dump truck similar to the one purchased by the utilities department in February.”
The dump truck does not require a commercial driver’s license to operate. Dunekack said three employees are currently in the process of obtaining CDL licenses, but the purchase of this truck will allow for greater operational flexibility within the department without the need to borrow non-CDL vehicles from other departments.
In the final council meeting of June, Utilities Director Darren Doonan struck down his own agenda item regarding repairs to one of two vacuum trucks operated by his department. Additional repairs were needed on the existing truck, and the decision was made to move forward with the purchase of a new 2025 Vactor 2100i vacuum truck. That purchase for $464,064 was approved 7-0 by the council.
“This piece of equipment is critical in the utilities department,” Doonan said. “It’s used daily for sewer cleaning, lift station maintenance, hydro excavation, stormwater operations, and emergency response. With only two trucks in our fleet, having one out of service has significantly impacted our daily operations in the utilities department.”
The council also approved the purchase of a grapple bucket for the city’s Caterpillar loaders for $33,337. Dunekack said his department currently has only one operational bucket, and with the need for debris removal after recent storms, the additional bucket will improve operational efficiency. All three purchases were already included in their respective departmental budgets.