Bid for snow removal vehicle comes in lower than expected

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners got a welcome surprise March 18 when they learned the bid for a new snow removal vehicle came in well under the expected asking price.

I-State Truck Center of Missoula offered to construct the piece of equipment for the county for $208,334. The snow removal vehicle is bound for the Libby Airport, which relied on a plow truck borrowed from Troy to keep the runway clear of snow this past winter.

Earlier this year, county officials secured a $300,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to buy a replacement snow removal vehicle for Libby. But the grant requires the county match up to $15,000 of the costs of securing the piece of equipment.

County commissioners had given the airport board permission to go after the grant — and by dint, the vehicle — but asked the organization to try and recoup a portion of the $15,000. While recognizing the airport’s importance, it proved an expensive asset for the community, said County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1) at the time.

“That airport is an expense, even with the grants,” Peck said earlier in the year. “It’s $15,000 here, $35,000 there.”

Opening the bid envelope in Eureka during the board’s March 18 meeting, County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) paused for a moment after reading off the price tag.

“That’s less than what we expected,” he said.

The $208,334 vehicle is all-wheel drive and come with a 14-foot blade, officials said.

The all-wheel aspect is of particular importance. While officials with the Libby Airport were able to keep the runway clear with the loaner this past season, the truck, which lacked four-wheel drive, could only move snow a short ways off the landing strip.

Were the snow to have set and then another storm roll in, the airport would have required heavy machinery to move the accumulation, officials warned earlier this year.

County commissioners voted unanimously to accept the bid.

Airport officials told county commissioners they would encourage I-State Truck Center to accelerate delivery of the snow removal vehicle. Company officials had said they planned to have the equipment finished by December.

“[Sooner] would be better,” Bennett said.