Iola council members agreed Monday to purchase a new electric distribution bucket truck — but they’ll have to wait a while before they can show it off. About two-and-a-half years, in fact.
Jim Baker, electric distribution superintendent for the city, presented the council with four bids for a new bucket truck, a pressing need given that the truck to be replaced is 19 years old now.
Two vendors presented bids that did not meet the minimum bid specifications. That left members to decide between Altec Industries of St. Joseph, Mo. and ABM Equipment of Hopkins, Minn. Baker recommended the bid from Altec for a Freightliner utility truck. While a tad more expensive, Altec’s road service is much better in Kansas than that of ABM Equipment, said Baker, which more than compensated for the extra cost.
The council unanimously approved the Altec bid at a cost of $296,745 and expects the bucket truck to be delivered by April 2026. Baker hopes it could be here by the end of 2025. The new vehicle will have a 60-foot working height and will join three other bucket trucks, each with 40-, 45- and 60-foot booms.
ON A personal note, Baker recently celebrated 40 years of employment with the City of Iola.
The official anniversary was Aug. 8. “The city has been very good to me,” Baker told the Register. “I enjoy working for it, and I enjoy what I do. Hopefully I get a couple more years out of it.”
Several others were recognized for employment milestones at Monday’s meeting. Jason Franklin (18 years), Doug Clark (17 years), Tim Francis (16 years), John Ross (15 years), Tammy Womelsdorf (13 years), and Jason Bauer (11 years) have all been with the City for over a decade.
