Starke County Hwy Department Permitted to Purchase Truck from Bass Lake FD

Posted on September 4, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

The Starke County Highway Department will soon be better equipped to clean bridges and culverts, following a decision made by County Commissioners Tuesday night.

County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler came before Commissioners with a request to purchase a pumper truck from the Bass Lake Fire Department for $2,000.

He noted, “It’s in really good shape. We can use that to clean bridges and blow out culverts. A vac truck to do the same thing would be a lot more expensive.”

Superintendent Ritzler explained that currently, the Highway Department has to borrow trucks from the local Fire Departments in order to clear culverts and sometimes when they need a truck, one is not available. By purchasing this truck, they’ll always have one on hand whenever it is needed.

Ritzler mentioned that Bass Lake FD’s truck only has about 20,000 miles on it and the pump was recently redone. He noted that he expects it to last 20-30 more years as long as it’s properly taken care of.

Ritzler stated that the $2,000 is available in the Highway Department’s budget. Commissioners cast a unanimous vote to approve the purchase.

In order to finalize the decision, Ritzler presented officials with a letter to sign that served as a confirmation of the intergovernmental exchange purchase between the Starke County Commissioners and the Bass Lake Fire Department.