LEGISLATURE STUFF

Tricky Trucking

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - There was a lot of talk about trucks, and rousing support was given to the guy in charge of them, when Greene County Legislature members held a Public Safety committee meeting, last week.

Taking second things first, lawmakers robustly reappointed Scott Templeton as county Highway and Solid Waste superintendent for a 4-year term.

The re-up still needs to pass muster with the full legislature which is expected to happen at their December 20 regular monthly meeting.

Templeton grew up in Catskill before leaving for college and starting his career, ultimately returning home and being appointed deputy highway superintendent in 2018 under roads chief Robert Van Valkenburg.

Van Valkenburg retired two years later, setting the stage for Templeton to be appointed blacktop boss for a 3-year term, quickly proving to be well worth his salt.

The motion to reappoint Templeton was seconded by all members of the Public Safety committee, a rare official display of respect.

Templeton was in the house to present his monthly report and similarly do something rare, request that lawmakers cancel the purchase of four vehicles, made this past summer.

Marketplace norms have essentially vanished since the worldwide covid pandemic with the supply chain becoming unreliable at best and totally haphazard at worst while prices soar over the moon.

Truck requisitions nowadays need to be put in a minimum of two years ahead and even then there is no certainty the promised goods will be delivered, which is the case with the current quartet.

Templeton offered two separate resolutions, one requesting that lawmakers rescind the acquisition of one single axle, 2-wheel drive cab and chassis including snow and ice control equipment.

His second request was likewise for lawmakers to rescind the deal for three single axle, 4-wheel drive cab and chassis with winter equipment.

The requests were approved, ending the transactions that were head-scratching from the outset. Templeton, back in August, had taken the unusual route of not recommending the low bidder for the buys.

All the sales were coming thru Henderson Products, based in Watertown, including $273,186 for the single axle, 2-wheel drive and a stunning $889,150 for the three single axle, 4-wheel drives.

Templeton had lawmakers questioning what they were hearing when he explained the single axle, 2-wheel drive could be had for roughly

$13,000 less from a different vendor.

And their heads were fiscally spinning when Templeton said approximately $59,000 could be saved on the three single axle, 4-wheel drives if the county went with the low bidder.

Skulls stopped whirling when Templeton explained his seemingly illogical logic, telling lawmakers Henderson Products was guaranteeing delivery within the 4th quarter of 2024.

No such promise came from the low bidder, prompting lawmakers to nod their aching heads “yes” but, as it turns out, it was all for naught.

“Henderson Products has since notified [Templeton] that they will not be able to fulfill the order according to the agreed upon specifications,” the latest resolutions state.

Templeton, while not overjoyed with the situation, kept it civil, saying, “we were told the manufacturer would meet our specifications. It took a long time for us to write the specs. They didn’t meet them.

“The axles they wanted to give us were larger and more expensive to maintain than the ones we specified,” the roads chief said.

It is expected Templeton will submit a new order in January, 2024. There could be a slight cost-savings but the rigs will not be arriving until 2026, meaning the county is essentially back where it started.

“Unfortunately, this is the New World,” Templeton said, even while pivoting to the positive, noting four new Internationals are still on schedule.

“We are hoping they’ll be here this winter,” Templeton said. “I don’t want to be quoted as saying the fleet is in great shape, but we’ll get through this winter okay.

“Our garage manager is phenomenal,” Templeton said, referring to Wes Benson, well known for his own repair shop in the town of Ashland.

Sticking with good news, Templeton said the county was able to do nearly 26 miles of road surface treatments, this summer, the highest total ever.

“We have been fortunate to be able to take advantage of additional money coming from the State through different paving programs,” he said.