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94. ADDITION TO FLEET OF TWO BRUSH/WOOD CHIPPERS Approve the addition of two (2) new brush/wood chippers to the County’s fleet for the Department of Transportation’s Operations Division at a total cost of $64,000 to be purchased after July 1, 2009. Approval of this request will authorize the Equipment Services Department to proceed with the procurement of two new brush chippers in fiscal year 2010. These chippers are necessary for maintenance crews to safely and efficiently remove large tree limbs from roadways after storm damage, removal of trees and large bushes that hinder travelers’ ability to see traffic signs, as well as ongoing maintenance of the County’s rights-of-way. MCDOT has four maintenance areas with crews responsible for County roadways in a land area of 9,226 square miles. We own two brush chippers. By purchasing two additional chippers, we can eliminate an average of six hours of travel time per week moving equipment between maintenance areas. This is a cost of $940 per week; 48 weeks per year (3 employees and a 1 ton flatbed truck). Additionally, time spent transferring equipment can be utilized working essential operations functions. The brush chippers cost $32,000 each. The current situation of sharing brush chippers is very difficult since storm damage typically occurs in several remote areas of the county, requiring multiple brush chippers to be deployed simultaneously. Rental fees are $400 per day, assuming they are available after a severe weather event. Normally the supply is limited due to private companies and other public agencies seeking the same type of equipment. Quite often, rental equipment has been poorly maintained, resulting in additional down time. The County must respond within 24 hours when sight restrictions for critical traffic signs are reported. Requiring a crew to shut down their worksite and move the equipment to the other side of the County is not only inefficient and costly, it also negatively impacts employee morale. Safely shutting down a worksite often involves traffic control devices and the services of additional personnel, as well as the maintenance team itself. Furthermore, a safety concern exists for County employees when no chipper is available. They have to get in the back of trucks or trailers and manually compact tree limbs and brush with long thorns and sharp ends. Climbing, falling and personal injury risk is greatly increased, especially during wet conditions, and when opening several roadways is a high priority. Finally, the two new chippers will significantly reduce the volume of wood waste stored in the trucks, resulting in a decrease from 4 hours per day to 2 hours per day in travel time to and from the landfill. (This is a conservative estimate on hours required.) As a result, we expect a cost decrease in fuel and less wear and tear on the trucks hauling the wood waste. Supervisory Districts: 1,2,3,4 and 5 (C-91-09-181-M-00)