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Committee explores buying chipper to process branch pickup and reduce recurring chip purchases
Summary
Sandpoint committee members reported staff support for buying a municipal chipper and bucket to process branches year‑round, potentially reducing purchased wood‑chip costs and staff hours; members requested cost quotes, storage logistics, and procurement assessments including supplier sustainability.
Members of the Sandpoint Sustainability Committee discussed a potential municipal chipper and accompanying bucket to process branches collected in the city’s branch‑pickup program.
Mikaela Sundquist (committee member) reported she and staff met with parks personnel and that Parks staff (Wes) "is really excited about getting a chipper." Members said municipal chipping would let the city produce chips from local material year‑round — including after storms — and could reduce the parks program’s recurring purchases of wood chips.
Discussion covered logistics: possible storage and processing at the city maintenance building or at airport property, the need to tally current spending on purchased chips and the staff hours required for processing without the equipment, and whether renting or contracting arborist services would be cheaper than buying. One member said the equipment could last roughly 20 years, which would factor into a long‑run cost analysis.
Committee members agreed to gather specifications and vendor quotes, apply the city’s procurement policy, and check manufacturers’ sustainability information as part of the recommendation to include the purchase in the next budget cycle.
Next steps: staff and volunteers will compile quotes and a simple lifecycle cost comparison for committee review and possible inclusion in the upcoming budget process.
