Rideau Lakes winter plow trucks damaged in garage fire, forcing temporary rentals to maintain snow clearing and road safety
RIDEAU LAKES — A fire at the Crosby MTO garage on Nov. 9 has taken one third of Rideau Lakes Township’s winter fleet out of service, prompting council to approve a four-month rental of three plow trucks.
In his report to council, Manager of Roads and Drainage Dan Chant confirmed the township had three tandem plows parked inside the garage at the time of the fire. Fire crews drove the vehicles out, but all three sustained significant smoke damage. Chant reported that the dashboards and interiors are being stripped and replaced and that heat damage is still being assessed. One unit has a section of the dash that no longer functions.
The trucks are at Rush Truck Centre and are expected to be offline for at least two months, with the possibility of longer if additional electrical or heat damage is found. Chant stated that graders are being used to backfill plow routes, but they cannot apply sand, requiring follow-up runs and doubling winter operations.
In the report, Chant advised that without the rental trucks the township would not be able to meet its winter maintenance standards.
Rideau Lakes council also heard that insurance will not cover rental fees. Staff are now exploring whether the Ministry of Transportation’s insurance may be able to support costs because the trucks were stored at the MTO facility when the fire occurred. Clerk Mary Ellen Truelove says she’s also looking into insurance coverage for rental protection.
Chant further reported that Miller Group is able to supply three single-axle plows immediately. Miller recently lost a plowing contract and has units available. He noted that a local contractor advised that they could not meet the township’s needs and estimated that contract service would run $225 to $250 per hour. Miller’s rental rate works out to $78.13 per hour based on 40 hours per week.
Coun. Dustin Bulloch said the rental cost of $150,000 is high but agreed it is required to maintain plowing through the winter and for residents’ safety.
CAO Shellee Fournier added that the township is obligated to meet winter safety standards and needs equipment to maintain routes while repairs continue.
Coun. Paula Banks said the municipality will need to address long-term storage of the plow units and recommended the issue be included in upcoming public consultations about municipal office and site planning.
Chant supported including storage in that process.
Coun. Jeff Banks raised concern over safety when the trucks were removed from the burning building. He said he would prefer losing equipment over risking staff.
Chant confirmed staff did not enter the building and only opened doors for firefighters, who were equipped to retrieve the trucks.
Council passed the rental motion with full support.
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