City Council Greenlights New Snow Machinery, Police Cars

In a meeting that lasted less than 10 minutes, the Meriden City Council approved funding requests for approximately $220,000 in new equipment for the city Monday night.  

The council approved the purchase of a municipal snowblower at $100,000 and three new police cars for $120,000.

The city will buy the snowblower, a detachable model that fits with equipment the city already has, immediately. The new equipment will be used to remove the thick snowbanks that are narrowing city streets after these winter storms, according to a  resolution submitted by nine city councilors.

"Roads which become too narrow constitute a public safety hazard, impeding emergency vehicles, causing traffic and pedestrian safety issues and making travel and parking difficult for residents," the resolution said.

The city currently has one snowblower, but it is too big to do the job. The equipment will be purchased from R.P.M. Tech, a Canadian company, using Capitol Improvement Funds obtained through bonding.

The city will use money from its contingency fund to buy three Ford Crown Victoria police cars. Ford will stop producing the cars, which are widely used as police cruisers, this summer, and the last date to order them is February 25, 2011.

Meriden Police are purchasing the cars expecting that they will be necessary replacements for autos in its current fleet in the next few years,  a resolution by city councilors Anthony Tomassetti and Keith Gordon said.