Village of Malverne auctioning off oldest truck in sanitation fleet
The Village of Malverne on Tuesday is set to auction off the oldest member of its sanitation fleet, a 2001 Mack rear-load garbage truck with more than 140,000 miles on it. Credit: Howard Simmons
Hey Long Islanders: Anyone in the market for a 23-year-old municipal garbage truck?
The Village of Malverne on Tuesday is set to auction off the oldest member of its six-vehicle sanitation fleet — a 2001 Mack rear-load garbage truck with more than 140,000 miles on it.
The rear of the vehicle, which was taken off the road last month, is set up for 1½- to 2-yard dumpsters and has been well maintained by in-house mechanics, officials said. The tires show signs of wear and the main push-out piston leaks, according to a description of the truck.
The auction, on Municibid — a municipal eBay type-site — ends Tuesday morning and also includes a vehicle previously used by the village police department.
To date, there have been two bids on the truck, the highest at $5,600. The auction began Feb. 9. Once an item is sold, the Malverne Village board of trustees must approve the sale.
Kevin Brady, the village's public works department superintendent, said Malverne recently purchased a new garbage truck for about $240,000 and no longer needs its older vehicle.
“The normal life expectancy of a garbage truck is 10 years,” he said. “Due to the way we maintain them and care for them, we try to get as long as we can out of the garbage trucks.”
The vehicle, Brady said, could be attractive to private carters or construction firms. One potential buyer from Wisconsin has expressed interest in converting it into a dump truck.
A similar garbage truck auction conducted by Malverne five years ago netted about $7,500, he said.
Proceeds from the auction will go toward the purchase of new equipment and automobiles, which have gone up in price in recent years, Malverne Mayor Timothy Sullivan said.
“The sale price of our surplus equipment is at an all-time high,” said Sullivan, who added the village has previously auctioned off old equipment, including lawn mowers. “So this helps us offset some of the increases that we're experiencing.”
In addition to the garbage truck, Malverne is also completing an auction of a 2013 Ford Taurus Interceptor previously used by the police department.
The four-door vehicle has more than 115,000 miles, officials said. All police striping and equipment have been removed, Brady said. To date, there are three bids on the Taurus, topping out at $2,700. The online auction for the vehicle, which began Feb. 1, also ends Tuesday morning.
“We're a small municipality,” Sullivan said. “We watch our budget and our expenses in a micromanagement type of way … So auctioning things off has proven to be a great advantage for us.”
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
