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Residents in Elliot Lake get help to get to polls, Remembrance Day events

Earlier this month the city council approved a $236,5000 front end loader to manage winter snow removal
ElliotLakeCityHall
File photo shows Elliot Lake City Hall in July, 2018. Kris Svela for ElliotLakeToday

Elliot Lake's Director of Public Works, Darryl Halloch, tells ElliotLakeToday the city's bus system's special and conventional transit busses will be running until 9 Monday night (municipal election night) to help people get to and from polls at Collins Hall.

Halloch said the buses will also run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 11 for Remembrance Day observances.

Earlier this month Halloch encouraged council members to approve purchase of a new front end loader, primarily to manage winter snow removal on our streets.

The City of Elliot Lake owns two older front end loaders, both smaller than the 930K CAT Model which council eventually approved at its last meeting to be purchased from Toromont CAT.

The price for the brand new unit is $236,500. Mr Halloch explained to council that the city has been spending $ 20,000 each year to rent front end loaders since neither of the units the city owns now is large enough for the road clearing chores. He said Toromont has always given excellent service and will provide in house training for city mechanics while trouble fixes are a phone call away.

Even though the purchase is not covered in the 2018 budget, council members approved the expenditure. But Councillor Chris Patrie objected saying since the front end loader was not budgeted for in 2018, it needed to go back through the  committee budget process. His planned motion was not supported. Councillor Tammy VanRoon told council her brother operates heavy equipment and has explained to her there are major safety issues when the choice is made to use older equipment or machines unequal to the task of doing heavier work.

Halloch noted the larger of the two machines the city now owns could often be seen with its rear wheels off the road as operators struggled to clear snow with it last winter.  He said the smaller of the city's two loaders is no longer suitable for snow clearing but is still effective for smaller tasks in the works yard.

Mayor Dan Marchisella asked Mr. Halloch where the 930K CAT fits into Elliot Lake's fleet management plan. Halloch said some of the purchase cost will be accounted for through savings through a reduction in equipment rental costs over the next five years. City Chief Administrative Officer Dan Gagnon told council the expected $20,000 in annual savings for rentals will be applied to the reserve fund.

As well, Elliot Lake will spend $70,000 on sand and salt for its winter care program this winter. City Council voted to award the contract for 3,500 cubic metres of the material for our sidewalks and roads to Wendell Farquhar Trucking. Another unsuccessful bid was for $76,000 from Beamish Construction Inc.

Public Works Manager Halloch said that changing weather patterns which generate more surface ice have meant the city needs more sand and salt than the 2,500 cubic metres Elliot Lake used to consume each winter. He said it is cheaper to buy what is needed upfront rather than acquiring it on a piecemeal basis. 



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About the Author: Brent Sleightholm

As a reporter, Brent has covered everything from amateur and professional sports, to politics, entertainment, police and courts, to human interest stories and government issues
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