A new compactor is going to be purchased for the City of Estevan’s landfill.
Estevan city council awarded a tender for the compactor during a special meeting Thursday. The unit, a 2020 Cat 816K HRC, will be purchased from Finning Cat for $629,218.91, plus tax.
Norm Mack, the roads and drainage manager for the City of Estevan, said the unit meets all specifications. The unit can also be serviced in Estevan with no travel expenses, and parts are easily accessible at the local dealership.
The other bid was from SMS Equipment of Saskatoon, with a Bomag Compactor with a hydrostatic driver similar to the existing unit at Estevan’s landfill, which Mack referred to as “troubled.”
The tender from SMS also did not meet some of the city’s specifications and requirements.
The existing unit is a 2010 Bomag Compactor that Mack said has a non-repairable engine and is riddled with many other problems.
“Compaction at our municipal landfill is a requirement by the Ministry of … Environment, thus deeming this piece of equipment essential to the City of Estevan’s fleet of equipment,” Mack said.
The compactor was not a budgeted item, and purchase will alter future plans for the fleet renewal program. The city treasurer will investigate best options for financing this piece of equipment, as the tender asked for a five-year lease program with a $1 buy-out at the end.
The City of Estevan will be actively looking to salvage any parts or sell the compactor in its entirety to recoup some of the costs of the new machine.
