McKeesport welcomes 2 new public works trucks, expects more equipment

McKeesport's public works department is adding some trucks and equipment to its aging fleet.

Public works director Steve Kondrosky, city administrator Matt Gergely and street foreman Jeff DiPerna, accepted a new 10-ton Freightliner and one-ton Chevy Silverado 3500HD series truck Tuesday morning.

The city is expected to receive a trailer Wednesday and a tandem axle truck within the next two weeks. All three trucks come with a plow and salt spreader.

The trucks are from Fyda Freightliner in Canonsburg, and the truck beds and equipment are from A&H Equipment Co. in Bridgeville.

Kondrosky said snow removal is just one of the trucks' many uses.

“Hauling millings to and from projects, hauling asphalt to and from projects, hauling our recycling materials up to Grandview Nursery for credit with our recycling grant,” Kondrosky said. “These salt spreaders will come off after the winter months are over. That puts the trucks back into usage for daily summertime work.”

The city purchased a recycling truck years ago from Fyda Freightliner. That vehicle was taken out of service when the city's contracted garbage hauler, Nickolich Sanitation, took over McKeesport's residential recycling program earlier this year.

Kondrosky said McKeesport still recycles its own tree branches and clippings, and is keeping the old recycling truck in case the city wants to restart its program.

The tandem axle truck can hold about 15 tons, and will be used to haul the city's excavator that was purchased a few months ago.

The new vehicles bring the public works fleet to six 10-ton trucks, two five-ton trucks, one one-ton truck, four pickups and multiple trailers. The oldest truck in service is a 1991 model.

DiPerna said the new trucks will make work a lot easier.

“You'll be running more efficiently with less breakdowns,” DiPerna said. “(The old trucks) are still usable, but when you use a 20-year-old truck on a daily basis they tend to break. We could always use even more new equipment, more trucks to update everything, but we'll get by with what we have. We always do. The residents have their needs that we need to meet with new trucks or old trucks, whatever it takes.”

“If they work like they look we're in great shape,” Kondrosky added.

Kondrosky said his department has 27 full-time employees with eight of them having a commercial driver's license.

The city made the public works purchase with a five-year $488,584.30 loan with a 2.99 percent interest rate through First Commonwealth Bank, Gergely said.

“With our aging fleet, I think it's our priority and responsibility to maintain services for our residents that they would expect,” Gergely said. “I think this provides an excellent opportunity to maintain the expectations of the residents.”

Officials solicited proposals from three separate entities, and First Commonwealth had the best offer.

Payments are budgeted at $53,396 this year, $106,793 annually for 2014-2017, and a final $53,396 payment in 2018.

Gergely said planning for the truck purchases began when Michael Cherepko became mayor last year, and the loan will not result in a tax increase.

“Even as we move forward with decreasing revenues, and as financially constrained as we are within the budget, it's extremely important that we continue to provide the same level of services to our residents,” Cherepko said. “It's more financially responsible on our end to go ahead and upgrade instead of continuing to spend thousands of dollars on the maintenance and repairs on the older vehicles. Those numbers continue to increase as the years go by.”

“We anticipated this last year because we knew we needed the trucks,” Gergely said.

Public works decals may be installed on the new vehicles some time in August.

Michael DiVittorio is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-664-9161, ext. 1965, or mdivittorio@tribweb.com.