City Briefs

City buys truck to patch potholes and camera van

The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening approved spending up to $280,000 for a new truck to patch potholes, and $257,000 out of the city's sewer and storm fund for a new camera van to better document the condition of sewer and storm lines.

The council gave preliminary approval to both purchases at its Feb. 21 meeting.

The city's current patch truck is more than 26 years old and maintenance costs are increasing, Brent Armstrong of the city's Public Works Department told the council Feb. 21.

A new patch truck will improve road repair quality, be more reliable and will decrease repair and maintenance costs, Armstrong said.

The city maintains more than 118 miles of paved streets, he said.

The attachments to the truck include a jack hammer, oil sprayer and asphalt spryer. The Mason County Public Works department has the same model, and gave a demonstration to city employees. The city staff is already trained in this style of truck.

The city's current camera van is more than 20 years old and most of the equipment and software is outdated, failing, and no longer available, the city report states.

As part of the state's new stormwater permit, the city must document and record the condition of sewer and storm lines "which are vital for maintaining safety, storm water quality, minimize backups and pipeline integrity throughout the city," it says.

The new truck will allow the city to update maps and find repairs that need to be made.