Carson City transit board approves trucks purchase

More than $400,000 worth of trucks and equipment will be purchased due to action Wednesday by Carson City’s Regional Transportation Commission (RTC).

Commissioners voted without dissent to buy three street crew trucks, a street asphalt patch truck, a slide in sander and a snowplow with controls. The cost is not to exceed $410,742.45. Financing is from the Street Fund Equipment Account.

“These are all replacement vehicles,” said Transportation Manager Patrick Pittenger, noting there was no fleet expansion involved. He said the equipment would replace trucks ranging in age from 16 to 20 years.

Buying the vehicles was proposed by Public Works Fleet Operations.

The commission also voted unanimously to authorize RTC Chairman Brad Bonkowski to sign a Community Development Block Grant application seeking $227,000 in federal money for improvements to Nichols Lane.

The improvements are proposed on the lane from U.S. Highway 50 north to Carmine Street. Maurice White, an Airport Authority member, testified the lane improvements would mitigate some serious issues.

Commissioners learned a Federal Lands Access Program Grant was approved for a project tentatively scheduled for 2019 to reconstruct 2.5 miles of Sierra Vista Lane south of Pinion Hills Road.

The project is for $4.5 million, which prompted Bonkowski to indicate the city’s $240,000 investment provided bang for the buck that’s “pretty exciting.”

Mayor Robert Crowell, an RTC member like Supervisor Bonkowski, asked if the project might be done earlier via some prodding. Bonkowski said if a letter or other action would help move things along he would provide it.

Commissioners also were informed about the Jump Around Carson transit system’s new software system efficiencies, a telephone app for bus riders’ information, and cost savings via a more efficient evening cab service from Western Nevada College.