Superior council approves $164,132 award for water‑rescue trailer after debate over towing vehicle

The Superior Common Council voted to award a $164,132 contract to Becker Custom Trailers for a water‑rescue dive trailer after members debated whether buying the trailer before securing a towing vehicle was prudent.

Councilors voted to approve the award during the consent agenda and again as a standalone item after discussion. The decision follows multiple solicitations: staff said the city issued the bid three times, first for a truck-and-trailer package and then for trailer only, and finally with revised specifications that produced a single responsive bid.

“...the bids were put out three times for this. The first time we put it out for bid was the truck and the trailer together, and we received no bids. We put it out for bid a second time with just the trailer and received no bids,” Fire Chief Ritzstead said. He told the council the equipment is highly specialized — including an air compressor and a fill station for scuba bottles — and that “a lot of the companies just didn’t wanna tackle” the required components.

A councilor who spoke in the discussion said, “I have some concerns with this ... it makes absolutely no sense to buy a trailer without knowing what to pull it with.” The chief replied that the city received a grant (noted in the record as roughly $240,000) that the department expects will cover a truck, and that a basic single‑axle tractor commonly used by debris companies would be sufficient to tow the trailer. He also said an available basic truck on a dealer lot could meet requirements once staff finalizes specifications for bidding.

Councilors recorded an aye vote and the motion carried. The transcript shows the department intends to purchase a truck later using remaining grant funds and other budgeted amounts; no separate purchase contract for the truck was approved at the meeting.

The council also discussed current interim towing arrangements: staff said the dive team had been using a police department trailer that is smaller and sometimes unavailable because police use it to haul motorcycles. The department had previously used an older ladder truck converted to hazmat that is now being disposed of.

The award is funded in part by a port security grant cited by staff; councilors thanked the fire chief for pursuing grant funding. No implementation timeline or procurement dates for the towing vehicle were specified in the meeting record.