Saturday, August 15, 2009
Revisiting the Golden Garbage Trucks
4:32 AM | 
Posted by
Lance M. Gundersen, Sr.
After reading Al Lebo once again lambasting me for the Golden Garbage truck issue of 2004, I decided that since 5 years of the 7 to 10 year lifespan of the trucks had passed, it might be a good idea to see how well they're holding up.
Before getting to that point, it is important to review the circumstances. In 2004, both of the city's garbage trucks were positively ancient as trucks of this type go. One was 13 years old. The other 15 years old. Both trucks had a lifespan of no more than 10 years and were well beyond that point. They were frequently broken, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find spare parts. They were essentially not road worthy. The details can be found in the following report done by me in 2004:
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dwrkfd7_27d7g8dvhp
In true open government fashion, I published that study on the former http://www.backdash.com/ website, as well as passed out copies to all of my fellow council members and a few interested citizens of our city.
The only person to come up with a competing plan was Shirley Savage, for which I give her credit. Still, her plan was to buy used low budget Sterling brand garbage trucks from Canada, of all places, from a dealership a quarter of the way around Lake Erie, past Buffalo.
Not a good plan.
Ron Ellis, DPW Director at the time, wanted to get two top of the line trucks with the intention of adding extra thick walls and floor to the garbage box so that the box itself might even outlast the truck (could be transplanted onto a new chassis when needed).
This was all a great plan except for one tiny little oversight that no one appeared to notice, and was only recently discovered by Bob Abel when reviewing the purchase specs for the vehicles we bought.
It seems that Ron Ellis spec'd the garbage boxes with 11 guage steel instead of 7 guage. It would seem to make sense that 11 is a higher number and therefore it should be thicker, more durable.
Nope
The link will show you that metal guage runs inverse such that the higher number is the lower thickness. Ron's 11 made for about a 1/16" thinner wall thickness than an otherwise similarly spec'd state contract garbage truck.
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/steel-gauge-thickness.htm
Oh, Lord.
Basically, we wasted $74,000 by not going on the state contract. That money would not have been a waste if we had purchased the extra thick high quality garbage boxes we were expecting. It is a waste now that we know that isn't what we did.
I feel really bad that I didn't catch that detail. On the other hand, neither did the other 6 of my fellow council members, the Mayor, the DPW Director, and the purchasing agent at the dealership. A lot of people fell down on this one.
Fortunately, the trucks are holding up. They have problems and they are getting tired, but they're surviving. They should make their life expectancy.
Out of all this, some questions arise. One such is how to avoid this sort of thing in the future. Gloversville has a habit of throwing out its politicians (usually right about the time they truly figure out what they're doing). The greenhorns get in and have no idea what they're looking at when major decisions of this type confront them. Some will study the issue. Some just ask the department head and others do nothing and hope for the best.
There has to be a better way.
I am beginning to toy with the notion that every department ought to be professionally led, just like the Police and Fire Departments. Rather than have appointees we should have seasoned professionals.
I'm also thinking that commissions should be established for all departments. Transit, for example, already has one. The water board, while semi-autonomous and slightly different in nature, can generally be pointed to as a similar example. Commissions with interested citizens having some level of background in the areas of the particular department might help ensure council members are comfortable with the information they receive.
Still, it is already difficult to fill existing boards and commissions. The notion seems good, but might be impossible to fill.
I'm hoping readers might have additional suggestions.
Before getting to that point, it is important to review the circumstances. In 2004, both of the city's garbage trucks were positively ancient as trucks of this type go. One was 13 years old. The other 15 years old. Both trucks had a lifespan of no more than 10 years and were well beyond that point. They were frequently broken, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find spare parts. They were essentially not road worthy. The details can be found in the following report done by me in 2004:
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dwrkfd7_27d7g8dvhp
In true open government fashion, I published that study on the former http://www.backdash.com/ website, as well as passed out copies to all of my fellow council members and a few interested citizens of our city.
The only person to come up with a competing plan was Shirley Savage, for which I give her credit. Still, her plan was to buy used low budget Sterling brand garbage trucks from Canada, of all places, from a dealership a quarter of the way around Lake Erie, past Buffalo.
Not a good plan.
Ron Ellis, DPW Director at the time, wanted to get two top of the line trucks with the intention of adding extra thick walls and floor to the garbage box so that the box itself might even outlast the truck (could be transplanted onto a new chassis when needed).
This was all a great plan except for one tiny little oversight that no one appeared to notice, and was only recently discovered by Bob Abel when reviewing the purchase specs for the vehicles we bought.
It seems that Ron Ellis spec'd the garbage boxes with 11 guage steel instead of 7 guage. It would seem to make sense that 11 is a higher number and therefore it should be thicker, more durable.
Nope
The link will show you that metal guage runs inverse such that the higher number is the lower thickness. Ron's 11 made for about a 1/16" thinner wall thickness than an otherwise similarly spec'd state contract garbage truck.
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/steel-gauge-thickness.htm
Oh, Lord.
Basically, we wasted $74,000 by not going on the state contract. That money would not have been a waste if we had purchased the extra thick high quality garbage boxes we were expecting. It is a waste now that we know that isn't what we did.
I feel really bad that I didn't catch that detail. On the other hand, neither did the other 6 of my fellow council members, the Mayor, the DPW Director, and the purchasing agent at the dealership. A lot of people fell down on this one.
Fortunately, the trucks are holding up. They have problems and they are getting tired, but they're surviving. They should make their life expectancy.
Out of all this, some questions arise. One such is how to avoid this sort of thing in the future. Gloversville has a habit of throwing out its politicians (usually right about the time they truly figure out what they're doing). The greenhorns get in and have no idea what they're looking at when major decisions of this type confront them. Some will study the issue. Some just ask the department head and others do nothing and hope for the best.
There has to be a better way.
I am beginning to toy with the notion that every department ought to be professionally led, just like the Police and Fire Departments. Rather than have appointees we should have seasoned professionals.
I'm also thinking that commissions should be established for all departments. Transit, for example, already has one. The water board, while semi-autonomous and slightly different in nature, can generally be pointed to as a similar example. Commissions with interested citizens having some level of background in the areas of the particular department might help ensure council members are comfortable with the information they receive.
Still, it is already difficult to fill existing boards and commissions. The notion seems good, but might be impossible to fill.
I'm hoping readers might have additional suggestions.
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About Me
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- Lance M. Gundersen, Sr.
- A lot of authors and bloggers have written about living intentionally. Each define it differently, but the basic gist of the idea is to have a plan and do everything in one's power to make it a reality. My plan was to live debt-free, and then spend my time doing the things I want to do - like finishing at least a Master's in an area I can put to use in my community. I started this process with a Masters in Work and Labor Policy with an Advanced Certificate in City Administration, but then switched to a Master's in Urban Planning focusing on Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure (and learning a fair bit about environmental planning, Brownfield redevelopment, community planning and more). I have also begun accomplishing a whole basket of cycling, sailing, hiking and personal enrichment goals which are each in various states of accomplishment. Feel free to stop by and read my musings. Comment if you like. Please be respectful, and I apologize that it's even necessary to have to say that at this stage of our existence.
4 comments:
When writing a spec, use 2 units of measurement to minimize error.
Opus
It's not rocketsurgery, Laptop.
The trucks were purchased from a single vendor on a non-competitive bids instead of a state contract.
That vendor is out of business now and the DPW director who insisted on the special equipment is no longer there.
What you suggest is "experience" on the part of elected officials, the citizens see as "over familiarity."
The fact that you continue to defend your overspending, is just
one more example why you should never be trusted with the citizens' monies again.
You are absolutely correct that I will continue to defend my record of SAVING the taxpayers money, streamlining the city's revenue flow, and decreasing the cost per household we each, including this property owner, have to pay.
I note that in your response you never once mention the singular role your own favored candidate had in creating the tax burden we all labor under. That's about typical for you.
Whether or not the vendor from whom the trucks were purchased is now out of business is irrelevant. Businesses come and go all of the time.
Whether or not the person who was DPW Director at the time is retired now is also irrelevant.
Your desire to paint a conspiracy where one doesn't exist is ridiculous and unbecoming of your intellect. In fact, in my opinion it makes you part of the problem in this city rather than the solution. You love to tear down others. I rarely see you doing something positive to build up people, things, or institutions around you.
What is relevant is that, try as I may, my new status as a council member at the time (7 months into the job when those trucks were ordered) coupled with my inexperience in the fields of metalworking and generating bid specs for government purchases actually speak volumes about your whole concept of 2 year terms. As a new, inexperienced council member I agreed to a well researched purchase that, 5 years later, turns out to have been a potential waste of $73,000 of tax payer money. Do you seriously think voting people in and out of office every two years is going to lead to fewer such errors?
The reason the trucks were purchased off state contract was explained to everyone in excruciating detail. No one at the time disagreed with the reasoning, even though some at the time disagreed with the expense.
Hindsight, which you use to eloquently to bash anyone who is not a clone of yourself, tells me that there were certainly improvements that could have been made to that deal; but hindsight still tells me the overall concept was valid.
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