Boothbay Harbor

Say hello to the Bobcat and goodbye to the snowbanks

Thu, 03/05/2015 - 3:45pm

    The 2015 Bobcat Toolcat that was approved for purchase has arrived in Boothbay Harbor.

    The selectmen approved the emergency purchase at the Feb. 23 selectman’s meeting for the low bid of $69,591.74 from Jordan Equipment in Falmouth.

    The Bobcat is four-wheel drive and has a diesel engine with a fully heated, enclosed cab for safety. It is capable of carrying 2,000 pounds at one time.

    “We used the Bobcat yesterday (March 4) into the early evening and all day today,” Town Manager Tom Woodin said.

    So far crews have cleared sidewalks on Western Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, from the Congregational Church down to Hannaford and more. Crews are also working on widening the roads that have become extremely narrow due to snow banks on either side, such as Roads End and Union Court.

    “We have a lot more to do,” Woodin said. “It will be in use a lot in the next few days.”

    According to Woodin, the workers are using the smaller Kubota to follow behind the Bobcat and do detailed, clean-up work and to salt/sand the areas the Bobcat clears.

    “Public Works is thrilled with it. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback on it and it will make a huge difference in staying ahead of storms piling up in the future,” Woodin said.