Ice machine purchased

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

During the Feb. 4 town council meeting there were questions raised about the recommendation for a new ice-cleaning machine.
One of the main questions asked was why would staff be recommending the purchase of the Big Hill Services Olympia machine for $158,000 after trade in, which is $14,000 more than the ENGO machine Joe Johnson Equipment was suggesting at $144,705 after trade in.
On Feb. 18 Tracy Simpson, community services coordinator, answered some of the questions.
Currently the staff at the Strathmore Family Centre use an Olympia natural gas machine. The new one will be electric but is familiar, and will run and operate similarly to the current machines. There’s also a two-week turnaround period to get the machine. Joe Johnson promised a turnaround time of six months.
“The Olympias are very similar to a car, you use a steering wheel, foot pedals, brakes etcetera whereas the ENGO is operated with a joystick. It would be a steep learning curve to operate the machine on ice for our operators,” said Simpson.
The current machine is old, and for now is running well, but there are no promises on how long it will last. Last year close to $20,000 was put into rebuilding the engine and some of the other parts.
“The one major difference between the machines is the Big Hill Olympia is a stainless steel chassis and it comes with a 25 year warranty. The Joe Johnson ENGO machine is a galvanized steel and only comes with a five year warranty.”
After consulting with the staff at the Family Centre, Simpson said they recommend purchasing the Big Hill machine.
Councillor Bob Sobol said the turnaround time was a bonus, but questioned if there is ice in the Family Centre all summer too.
“We have only about a month and a half every year where there’s absolutely no ice and then we operate about four months of the year with one ice surface,” said Simpson.
There is a second unit if the first one goes, and it would be feasible to get through with one during the summer.
At the previous council meeting Councillor Brad Walls had been concerned about spending the additional $14,000.
“With this new information that is being presented I am prepared to support the motion to get the much more expensive unit, but I would like administration to be financially aware of where we’re going in the future because with this oil the way it is we’re going to start to face some uncertainty and ultimately we have one taxpayer, us,” said Walls.
A motion was made and approved to purchase the Olympia from Big Hill Services. The old machine will be broken down and used for parts by Big Hill.