Posted on February 14, 2017
Author Mary Perren, WKVI
The Starke County Highway Department has a replacement schedule for vehicles and heavy equipment. Superintendent Rik Ritzler shared the asset management plan with the commissioners last week.
“With 87 vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment, you have to replace three or four a year or else you’re going to wait 30 or 40 years before you replace everything,” Ritzler explained. “That’s why it seems like we’re getting a lot, but really we have to maintain that and keep going. This will be a good thing to have these dates and when we’re going to replace them, why we’re going to replace them, what we actually use the vehicle for.”
Last week the highway department took delivery of a new dump truck, which will replace one that’s currently in the fleet. Ritzler says the 1997 International will become a spare, and the new truck will be assigned to Koontz Lake.
Right now Ritzler is soliciting quotes for a new tractor. He says the department is gradually replacing its mowing fleet. He says John Deere makes quality tractors, but the ones on the replacement list are more than 20 years old. His goal is to purchase a new one every couple of years before mowing season starts.
Ritzler adds he should have those quotes for the commissioners at their next meeting.
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