Condition of DPW's Vehicle Fleet Is 'Startling'
Somerville Board of Aldermen approves $750,000 bond to purchase new DPW vehicles.
The Somerville Department of Public Works' vehicle fleet is in a state of shocking disrepair, if a recent presentation to the Somerville Board of Alderman is any indication. One truck is "so badly rotted that we had to use a street sign as a floor board," said Mike Brown, from the DPW, telling the aldermen about the poor condition of many of the department's vehicles. Another truck's fuel tank is being held in place with a ratchet strap, the kind of polyester strap normally used to tie things down in the back of a pickup truck. At least two trucks were recently lost to fire, and on one vehicle—a 36,000-pound dump drunk—"the rear end fell out of the truck," said Brown. The result was that heaps of snow-melting salt spilled onto Powderhouse …
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Amanda Kersey
7:57 am on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Agreed. I wouldn't want to be stuck in my apartment for days after the next snowstorm because there weren't enough trucks in good condition to clear it away. more ›