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Delaware City expands refuse fleet, buys grapple truck and flags need for larger fleet facility
Summary
Public works described a new $237,000 grapple truck now in service, a full conversion to automated refuse trucks over the CIP, equipment replacements and a planned fleet facility expansion to add service bays to support the city’s 400+ vehicles.
Public Works Director Bill Ferino told the Finance Committee that the department has put recent and planned equipment purchases into the capital plan to improve efficiency and safety, and that a facility expansion is a near‑term priority to service a growing fleet.
Ferino said the city received a grapple truck this year — “a $237,000 piece of equipment” — that can pick up heavy bulk items and was deployed immediately after a recent storm to clear road debris. He said the grapple greatly reduces manual lifting and increases collection capacity for bulky items such as appliances and furniture.
“We're full schedule,” Ferino said about the city’s bulk pickup program, estimating the crew handles “probably over a 100” pickups per month and that bulk collection has moved to a weekly schedule on Thursdays with some customers occasionally moved to two‑ or three‑week windows to accommodate demand.
Ferino described the conversion to automated side‑load refuse trucks across the fleet; staff expect the fleet to be automated after purchase of one more truck in 2026, leaving two older rear‑load trucks as backups. He noted the automated vehicles cost about $500,000 new, compared with historically lower prices for older truck types, and said the city expects a 10‑ to 12‑year useful life with proper maintenance.
The presentation listed several other equipment items planned for replacement or purchase: a mini excavator for sidewalk and curb ramp work, an emergency response vehicle designed to deploy signage and cones with a protected operator station, a front‑wheel loader used for winter operations, and a forklift replacement to replace a 1988 unit now at the end of its useful life.
Ferino said the public works complex has five service bays but services more than 400 pieces of equipment; he told the committee staff want to add three service bays to reduce out‑of‑service time for fire and emergency apparatus and to avoid leaving vehicles outdoors where corrosion and downtime rise. The fleet expansion is not yet detailed in the CIP and will be evaluated with finance and design staff, he said.
No budget appropriation for the facility expansion was approved at the Aug. 28 meeting. Ferino said staff will continue to plan and return with cost estimates and potential procurement strategies, including design‑build options.
