The Lower Towamensing Township supervisors approved the sale of its 2007 Komatsu Wheel Loader to help pay for the new Caterpillar Wheel Loader, but not before one resident had his say in it.

Steve Kuhns, a resident of Lower Towamensing Township, told the supervisors that he thinks they are spending too much money on a new wheel loader and that it does more than they need the equipment to do."Why are we going after a new one?" he asked. "We are a Class C (municipality) and a Cat is a Cadillac."Chairman of the supervisors Ronald Walbert said the township was getting the Caterpillar at a good price with money from a state grant and from the sale of the Komatsu to help in reducing the final sales price."Over the long haul, I think this is going to be a good investment," he said. "We didn't take this lightly."The township was awarded a $30,000 state grant, and the final bid for the Komatsu on Municibids was $66,300 after a short bidding war. That dropped the price of the new equipment from $204,760 to $108,460. With a low-interest loan, the township is able to get the Cat at annual payments of about $25,000. At the supervisor's meeting in August, they told the Caterpillar dealer that they were interested in purchasing the new equipment as long as the payment price was below $27,000.Supervisor Brent Green said, "We did really well in selling the Komatsu."The township purchased the loader nine years ago for more than $85,000, but still recouped most of original cost, he said. The Komatsu had a low number of usage hours. In that period of time, it accumulated about 18,900 hours or about 2,100 hours a year.The supervisors said the Caterpillar is needed because it can do multiple tasks that would otherwise need multiple pieces of equipment. Plus, the 20-foot boom will make it possible for them to reach further to trim branches.The supervisors also approved the bid by Service Team Roofing Division in Forest Inn to replace the shingled roof of the Lower Garage by the recycling area behind the municipal building.Green said there aren't any leaks into the interior of the building, but the shingles are deteriorated. They have needed to be replaced for three years. The cost to remove the old shingles and replace them will be $5,715.In other business, the supervisors granted extensions to the Palmerton Area School District for the lot consolidation and driveway. Green said they need the extension for the driveway, because they haven't received the highway occupancy permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. That extension moves the township's decision to Feb. 28, 2017. The lot consolidation involves combining seven small parcels into one lot, he said. The extension was granted with the new date set for Nov. 30, 2016.Supervisor Jesse Mendez mentioned that he saw an advertisement for an appliance hauler and asked the fellow to the meeting. Armando Hernandez introduced himself and said he is willing to pick up any unwanted appliance, such as refrigerators, stoves, etc. for free - except for televisions or computers.Hernandez said he repairs what he can and either gives the appliances away to people in need or sells them.Appliances that he cannot fix, he takes to a certified recycling center.The supervisors decided to make his contact information available to the public and organize an appliance drop-off day at the borough's recycling center. Hernandez can be reached at 610-730-1089.Green said the township has a vacancy on the recreation board and one on the planning commission. Anyone interested should contact the township at 610-826-2522.