By Mason Miles
contributing writer

Duchesne County has approved the purchase of a mulcher to clear vegetation, mitigate trees, and combat wildfires; a truck for the Road Department to maintain equipment remotely and assist with breakdowns; and a truck to replace a service vehicle for the county’s Building and Grounds Department.

The mulcher excavator was purchased for $59,589 from Caterpillar Wheeler in Bountiful. It will help the Road Department respond to wildfires, clear vegetation, and improve sight lines at critical intersections. Commissioner Greg Miles said the purchase will provide significant benefits.

“Giving this mulcher to the Road Department will allow them to be able to respond to a wildfire,” Miles said. “Fire teams in the past used these mulchers in conjunction with control lines or prepping fire lines. So, we can put it to work on the fire line helping in those situations.”

Commissioner Miles added that the mulcher will also improve visibility at intersections by trimming down trees that limits traffic visibility.

“This mulcher will also assist the Road Department with fencing trees along intersections, aiding travelers by giving more sight distance at critically noted intersections,” he said. “We have a lot of Russian olive trees that create boundaries that we need to address for sight distance for intersections. We want to clear the trees in our right of way, in the wintertime where we’re not doing much road maintenance, that gives us the opportunity to go out and trim trees in areas so it opens up the sight distance I think this is a great thing.”

Commissioner Irene Hansen also emphasized the efficiency this mulcher will bring to the Road Department.

“These things can add to our efficiency, they’re game changers,” Hansen said. “It makes our employees more efficient, it makes our time used better spent.”

The county approved the purchase of a service truck for the Road Department from Performance in Bountiful. The truck, quoted at $182,687, includes a crane for lifting heavy equipment, assisting with breakdowns across the county, and performing remote maintenance.

The cost of the truck alone was not specified as the quote from Performance factored in the cost of the utility crane, making the total $182,687. Commissioner Miles said this purchase was necessary, as Duchesne County’s original service truck for the Road Department has maintenance issues.

“Our original service truck has about 90,000 miles on it and has never worked right,” Commissioner Miles said. “We bought it used to save money, but we couldn’t resolve its issues. The new truck has a big utility bed and a mobile crane, which will help with maintenance across the county. Having a reliable service truck is essential for responding to breakdowns wherever they occur.”

Duchesne County Commissioners also approved the purchase of a Ford Lincoln from L&L Motor Company for the Building and Grounds Department. The truck, which cost $63,820, replaces a vehicle damaged in a collision with a deer.

“The new truck is a replacement, but we’ll get the wrecked one fixed to use as a spare,” Commissioner Miles said.