09/13/76 Board of Public Works Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 13, 1976 Alvarez if he is working at the present time. Mr. Alvarez said he is not working and is having difficulty finding work. Mr. Brunner made a.motion that the Board approve the taxi license application of Ralph Alvarez. The motion was seconded by Mr.. Mullen and carried. RECOMMENDATION TO ACCEPT BID - FIRE DEPARTMENT PUMPER The Board received a recommendation from Fire Chief Oscar Van Wiele regarding the bids received for a 1250 G.P.M. pumper for the Fire Department., Chief Van Wiele's recommendation indicated that the bid of Midwest Fire and Safety Equipment Co, should be rejected because it does not meet the specifications of a 1250 G.P.M. pump or larger. The bid of the F.M.C. Corporation should be rejected because the four units bid do not meet the specifications and the delivery dates are not acceptable. The Ward LaFrance and Mack bids do not meet the specificatons entirely but Chief Van Wiele recommended that the bid of Ward LaFrance be rejected because it does not meet the requirements for torque in foot pounds and the engine should be of a type to recover at low speeds without downshifting. Chief VanWiele recommended that the Board accept the Michiana Mack bid which does meet the specificats.ons'for maximum torque in foot pounds, although it does not meet specifications in cabinetry and tail board depth. Delivery time for the Mack truck is 30 days or less. Mr. Brunner asked Chief Van Wiele the price difference between the Ward LaFrance truck and the Mack. The Chief said the difference is $960.00. Mr. Brunner asked Chief_ Van Wiele if he considered torque to be a significant �..> factor. Chief Van Wiele said he has talked to the men at the stations in regard to recovery power after they slow down and when they turn and they agree that the Mack would perform better,because of the torque. Mr. Brunner asked if there were specific areas in the City where the Mack would be preferred. Chief Van Wiele said these trucks will not be designated to serve only a certain stations and they would like to be able to move them all over the City, Mr. Brunner asked if the Mack truck would perform better in the Twyckenham Hills area. Chief Van Wiele said, mechanically, the Mack would serve the Twyckenham Hills area better than the Ward LaFrance. Mr. Brunner asked Chief Van Wiele if he feels the difference in price is offset by getting the increased torque in the Mack truck. Chief Van Wiele said, based on his discussions with mechanics and firefighters, he would say yes. Mr. Brunner asked if there was a difference in the pumping capacity. Chief Van Wiele said both pump 1250 G.P.M. Mr. Mullen asked if there was a possibility of blowing an engine with less torque by downshifting in slowing for hills and corners. Chief Van Wiele said it would be harder on the engine. He said the present IJard LaFrance equipment has to be continually downshifted. Mr. Brunner asked Chief Van Wiele about the difference in cabinetry. Chief Van Wiele said the Ward LaFrance has eight cabinets and the Mack has five, but they feel there is sufficient cabinet space in the Mack. Mr. Brunner asked if Mack would meet the delivery date of 30 days and Chief Van Wiele said his contact with the bidder indicates delivery could be made in less than 30 days. Nick Swartz, representative of Hoosier Fire Equipment Co., was present. Mr. Swartz said his firm bid a Detroit diesel engine with more horsepower than the Mack. They feel that horsepower should be a criteria rather than torque. He said they bid_a synchromesh . transmission and they feel, with five speeds, a firefighter can get performance out of that engine. He said he would like,the City to compare the maintenance records of the Ward LaFrance equipment and the Mack equipment the City now has. Mr. Brunner asked Mr. Swartz if his firm is able to meet the torque the Mack truck has. Mr. Swartz said the engine they bid does not meet that torque. They could have bid a Cunnins engine which would meet the torque but they had this engine in stock and felt they should bLd it, based on the specifications provided. Mr. Brunner said, in view of the difficulties the City has had with Michiana Mack in the past and because they consider time to be of the essence, the Board will exact a penalty if delivery is not made within 30 days. He said he felt the Chief made a persuasive