Columbia buys a trolley
The trolley is a 1993 model with 53,000 miles and was used previously by the borough during the Columbia lantern tour. Public Works Director Ron Miller took a test drive/ride for several miles recently and described the vehicle's engine and transmission as "excellent" and presented council with an extensive written report. He called the venture "not a frivolous investment whatsoever." The trolley is air-conditioned and comes with a lifetime supply of vehicle filters. Councillor John Novak said the same trolley in today's dollars would cost $200,000-250,000 new.
Council had originally planned to employ the services of Rivertowne Trolley Company again in 2017 until a sudden opportunity surfaced to buy its own trolley. The issue normally would have gone through committee before being presented to council, but councillors felt the matter warranted quick action due to other parties interested in acquiring the vehicle. Columbia paid $30,600 last year to rent Rivertowne's trolley.
Councillor Cleon Berntheizel said, "I look at this as an investment in the borough."
Comments
I thought they used the Red Rose bus for the SVCC event. This Trolley is from Reading, not Lancaster.
The lies and deception this Council displays is irresponsible. There has to be right to laws broken in these past circumstances.
They must go, and Greg Sahd needs stop helping Cle and Kelly and help us the taxpayers. Push the working class out and bring in the landlord's.
How out of touch can someone be? Hard to believe someone would think a 25 year old bus as an investment. Unreal.
-Effective January 1, 2016, the thresholds for public bidding by Pennsylvania state authorities and municipalities will remain unchanged from 2015 and are as follows:
Purchases and contracts below $10,500 require no formal bidding or written/telephonic quotations
-Purchases and contracts between $10,500 and $19,400 require three written/telephonic quotations
-Purchases and contracts over $19,400 require formal bidding
Is their formal bidding paperwork? If not, this purchase was in violation!