Gainesboro Vote To Advertise For Snow Plow And Salt Spreader

Joining other local governments needing to upgrade their winter fleet, Gainesboro Alderman will advertise for a snow plow and a salt spreader.

Alderman Ricky Head said he received numerous phone calls from the community asking why there was not more of an effort to get roads cleared when they were iced over.

“We don’t have any means at all to clean roads or clean streets off or anything like that,” Head said. “It would just be nice to be able to give the residents of the city a way to be able to get out. In some situations, you’re not going to be able to do anything with it, but it would just be nice to have something.”

Head said he spoke with three Nashville-based companies that suggested equipment priced between $12,000 and $17,000. Gainesboro City Recorder Darla Pippen said any items over $10,000 require a public advertisement and sealed bids before anything can be purchased.

Mayor Lloyd Williams said he is concerned about how often the expensive equipment would be needed.

“It’s got its plusses, but then, it’s a lot of money,” Williams said. “And if we buy it, we have to use it to get our money’s worth.”

Head said the city already has a truck suitable to have the equipment installed. He said he has been leaning toward the $12,000 hitch salt spreader that could be hooked to the truck, and taken off when not in use. He said even if the truck does not last a long time, the county will have the plow and spreader available to hook to another vehicle for many years to come.

“If you haven’t got the salt, you’re not going to do anything with it,” Head said. “And salt after a certain point isn’t going to. I mean, you see that on the state road.”

He said even salt and a plow may not have been enough to clear roads in the most recent freeze, but they would be a good resource for the county in case of a more manageable snow event that still poses a threat to drivers.