The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Dist. U-46 Board approves trucks purchase, bills list

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 unanimously approved, of the purchase of two distribution center trucks at its meeting on Monday, March 15.
  The cost is $148,256, to come from the education fund, through JX Truck Center through a Sourcewell contract.
  The trucks will replace a 2009 refrigerated truck (76,532 miles/4,474 refrigerator unit hours) with an estimated trade-in value of $7,500 and a 2012 truck (56,685 miles/2,367 hours) with a trade-in value of $6,500. The trucks have had $5,729 in repair costs this year and $38,452 total since being purchased, according to the proposal.
  “Due to COVID and parts shortages, these vehicles have up to an 8-month lead-time and it could be longer,” the proposal states. “Administration has located two cab/chassis that can be purchased now on the Sourcewell Contract… prior to end of fiscal year 2020-2021. In the 2021-2022 school year, administration will bring to the board the proposal for purchase and installation of the body, refer unit, and liftgate on these two units.”
  The proposal adds: “The Business Services Department operates its vehicles year round, under the harshest weather conditions and demands. These vehicles need to be replaced for the purposes of public and employee safety and operational efficiency once they have met their useful lifespan within the tenets of the Age and Obsolescence Plan.”
  Also unanimously approved was $3.3 million in itemized bills.