Garbage truck dazzles
Trustees get look at Lyons’ new addition
By Steve Metsch
Lyons trustees got their first look at the village’s new garbage truck, painted a gleaming white with an illustration of Hoffman Tower on each side, before their recent meeting.
The truck has room for 25 yards of garbage, Public Works Director Ryan Grace said.
“Normally, you don’t get to see them when they’re brand new,” Grace said. “I’ve never seen one shine like this. It looks fantastic.”
“This is basically a mobile trash compactor,” he said while giving trustees a tour on Nov. 17.
The cost is just under $300,000, Grace said. The purchase was approved by the village board earlier this year.
“We’ve had it in our possession for two or three weeks and it will be going out for service in a week or two,” Grace said.
Mayor Christopher Getty said he is “extremely happy” with the new truck.
“It turned out really nice,” Getty said. “We custom ordered it. We’re very happy with it.”
“It’s a larger truck which will cause the drivers to only dump it once instead of twice in a day during their route,” Getty said. “We’re looking forward to getting it into service.”
Crane Carrier built the truck, which was then shipped to Minesota, where the McNeilus company installed the trash compacting unit, Grace said.
“Crane Carrier was selected because it has the lowest entry height for the cab in the industry,” Grace said. “So, when the guys are coming in and out 200 to 300 times a day, that extra 12 inches makes a very big difference.”
He noted that the cab area is more spacious because most garbage trucks have a steering wheel on both sides. Not this one.
“We don’t utilize our trucks that way, so I had this custom built without that,” Grace said. “We have a laborer and a driver. It’s not necessary for us. … It’s the same driver all day long.”
In other business during the village board meeting, trustees voted unanimously to more than double the annual license fee for hotels, motels and motor inns.
“The license fee for hotels and motels was essentially at $400 on an annual basis,” Getty said. “This will increase that to $1,000 each calendar year.”
In increase is needed, he said, because of the high number of emergency calls at those businesses.
“We’re looking to recoup some of the costs on an annual basis servicing these places of business,” Getty said.
The board also approved the purchase of a 2021 Ford utility vehicle for the public works department for $40,853 from Currie Motors in Frankfort.
“We’ll probably take delivery in two to three months,” Getty said.
Desplaines Valley News
Email Steve Metsch at sm4610@sbcglobal.net
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