Council surpluses old sweeper, welcomes renovated reservoir

BREWSTER – The city burn ban was officially lifted by the Brewster’s Assistant Fire Chief Dylan Gamble during this month’s regular city council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11. That means that city residents can now burn leaves and brush, provided they secure the proper burning permit from city hall.
A city burning permit, good through the remainder of the calendar year, costs $34.
The city’s new Global M3 sweeper has been busy at work on Brewster’s streets and council approved an amendment to the city budget to finalize its purchase. Council also approved the surplus of the city’s old unit, a 1974 Mobile Athey, with a minimum starting bid of $4,000.
Public Works Director Lee Webster said the used sweeper comes complete with many new or replacement parts.
The city’s renovated water reservoir is nearing completion and about ready to hold water, Webster said. It is one of four that now provides the city with 1.5 million gallons of storage.
When Apollo, Inc. of Spokane began earlier this spring, city officials were not sure what tests would reveal about the condition of the structure’s foundation and below-ground stability.
The interior wall of the reservoir was lined with a curtain of rebar onto which was applied a four-inch layer of shotcrete. Original estimates called for a holding pressure of about 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) but the completed project tested at about double that at 10,000 psi.
The addition to the interior surface reduces the structure’s capacity to slightly below 500,000 gallons, a small tradeoff for the extra water storage.
“It has been a great project,” said Webster. “It went as planned and as hoped.”
A combination of funding from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and state capital budget appropriation helped pay for the reservoir repairs.