By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
The big yellow Cat will continue to rule at the Rowan County landfill.
Heeding landfill equipment operators, county commissioners rejected a low bid from a John Deere dealer for a track loader and went with a Caterpillar.
Kathryn Jolly, the county’s director of environmental management, brought along Dick Shue, chief heavy equipment operator at the landfill.
What followed sounded like commercial for Caterpillar.
Jolly said Shue worked for John Deere for 20 years and has worked for the county for 19 years. She said he is known statewide as the “guru” of landfill equipment and has saved the county thousands of dollars on equipment.
And he is a Cat man.
The landfill currently has nine Cats and one Deere.
She ticked off a list of reasons to pick the Cat, including longer life and the ability to quickly get parts. Carolina Cat of Charlotte provides parts within 24 hours, delivers parts and provides a loaner when a machine has to undergo a major overhaul or parts aren’t available immediately.
She said John Deere offered no such service. County employees would have to go to Charlotte or Greensboro to get parts and there was no offer of a loaner.
With the mountains of garbage dumped daily at the landfill, Jolly said, having equipment out of service for several days to replace the undercarriage would cause major problems.
Shue pointed out a Cat undercarriage will last 10,000 hours, compared to 3,000 for a Deere.
The landfill has gotten by for three weeks without one of its track loaders after one scheduled for replacement burned at night when the landfill was closed. Initial reports indicated an electrical problem.
Commissioners unanimously agreed to buy a Caterpillar 963 D track loader from Carolina Cat for $247,195.
James River Equipment Co. of Greensboro submitted the low bid of $242,570.
Profits from landfill operations will pay for the loader.
In other matters, the board:
– Approved Northwestern Emergency Equipment’s bid of $116,800 each for two ambulances. The price includes a $10,000 allowance for each trade-in.
First Class Fire submitted a lower unit price, but allowed only $1,000 each for trade-ins.
Finance Director Leslie Heidrick said the county sought bids on the regular box ó the transport area ó currently used and a new style aluminum box, which is better. Bids on the aluminum boxes were more than $10,000 per unit higher.
Due to the economy, the finance and emergency services departments recommended going with the less-expensive standard box.
Delivery is expected in 120 days.
– Selected Eastern Aviation Fuels to provide fuel at the county airport. The company has provided fuel at the airport since the county took over operations in 2005. The contract runs for three years with an option for a two-year extension.
The company had the overall lowest price on fuels and equipment provided for refueling.
– Approved the annual application for $380,000 in state funding to run the transportation system operated by the county’s Senior Services Department.
The application includes $61,000 to make improvements to the county-owned Donnley house on Old Concord Road, the operations center for the transportation system.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.