Paradise saves thousands on new truck

By Chris Lewis/August 19, 2021

The Town of Paradise appears to be getting a good deal on a new pickup truck.

The item was discussed at Tuesday’s public council meeting.

The plan is to use the new heavy duty 3500 series pickup truck as a replacement for one of the town’s older fleet units, explained councillor Allan English.

The Department of Public Works, he said, had budgeted $75,000 in 2021 for such a vehicle.

The truck is to be equipped with a front blade, and a rear salting unit.

“The provincial government purchasing agency released a standing offer for both a light duty and heavy duty vehicle, which will be in effect for the next three years,” English said. “We assessed our needs against the standing offer and found some significant savings in purchasing this vehicle under this program.”

The total breakdown of the price for an H-Model 3500 HD Chevrolet 4×4 double cab, with an eight-foot box, comes to $40,304 plus HST. With some additional safety options and a different paint colour adding an extra $2,790, English reported the total cost of the rig to be $49,558 HST included.

He said the committee recommended proceeding with the purchase from this standing offer.

Mayor Dan Bobbett was pleased to see the Town saving some money.

“I was talking to the director of public works, and it’s a very good price on that truck,” he said. “We had budgeted $75,000, and it’s $49,000. That’s great.”

English’s motion to approve the purchase passed unanimously.