Thursday, March 28, 2024

Year in review 2016: January through June

Posted
January

609 more Cashmere homes

on PUD fiber list

The Chelan County Public Utility District planned to expand its fiber Internet capabilities in Cashmere in 2016.

Chelan PUD will add 609 premises passes in Cashmere, adding to the 1,570 currently available in Cashmere, said Bob Shane, Chelan PUD director of fiber and telecommunications.

The fiber cable will stop in the area of the home then it will be up to the homeowner to request to have the connection completed through a service provider.

"We provide basically the transport," Shane said. "We build the infrastructure."

Fiber Internet is a physical line that connects directly with the home. If the homeowner then chooses to receive the service PUD will finish the connection to the homes.

The expected download speeds are up to one gigabyte a second. That is 200 percent faster than a 20 megabyte broadband connection. The fiber cable will generally connect to the house in the same fashion as the electricity is connected, Shane said.

If it is underground the fiber will be poked into the conduit, if it is from a utility pole then the fiber will be strung. Installation usually takes half a day or less. "(It's) generally where the electrical comes out because we are using the same path," Shane said.

Mission Creek shoreline restoration work complete

Work to restore the Mission Creek shoreline was completed in mid-December after the state Department of Ecology ruled construction of a retaining wall caused "environmental harm."

A rock retaining wall was built behind the Quail Lane Development off Chapel Street in Cashmere by Baker Construction and Excavating, a local contractor, in September 2012 after flooding had occurred in February of that same year.

Baker Construction failed to obtain the proper permits from the county, state and federal governments to work in the creek and on the shoreline, state Department of Ecology spokeswoman Joye Redfield-Wilder said. The DOE ruled the wall created erosion, damaging the creek bed and fish habitat.

Failure to acquire the permits and the damage to the environment resulted in a $20,000 fine for both Baker Construction and for development owner George Valison.

With the repairs to the shoreline complete, Valison has been released from his penalty, Redfield-Wilder said.

The Big Orange honors big heroes

A reunion of the six Cashmere High School state basketball championship teams was held Jan. 23 at Cashmere High School.

Players, coaches, managers and their families gathered together at the high school for lunch and talked about basketball and their championship runs.

"It is an opportunity to get everyone together," said Levi Heyen, boys basketball coach and one of the organizers of the reunion. "To embrace the tradition of Cashmere basketball."

All six teams will be introduced and honored that night during half time of the home game against Cascade High School.

The reunion of The Big Orange, as the Cashmere Bulldogs used to be called, is an idea that Heyen and Superintendent Glenn Johnson have been talking about since honoring the 1995 championship team last year on the 20-year anniversary of their win during a basketball game.

Heyen hopes as many former players, coaches, managers and family members attend as possible, but is unsure of the exact number. Cashmere won the state championship in 1972, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1986 and 1995.

Council considers garbage options

The city is still in the garbage collection business for now, but the Cashmere City Council is looking at options that might change that - if the price is right.

At the Jan. 11 meeting, the council compared rates charged by the city to estimated rates provided by Waste Management and Sunrise Disposal, two companies that operate in the region and have the capacity to collect the amount of trash produced in the city. Commercial customers complained about the city's garbage collection rates last September, which prompted the council to have staff look into the issue.

After lengthy discussion last week, the council directed staff to gather further details about the service that would be provided as well as a breakdown of commercial and residential customers in Cashmere. Those details will be brought back for discussion at the Jan. 25 meeting. At this time the council is not negotiating with any company, but simply reviewing options.

"It is not an easy subject to approach, because of all the variables," Mayor Jeff Gomes said.

The largest commercial containers provided by the city are 1.5 cubic yards because that is the largest capacity the city's 6-year-old garbage truck can tip. Both Waste Management and Sunrise Disposal offer containers that hold up to 8 cubic yards of waste.

Cashmere Convalescent Center shuffles leadership in wake of state finding

Cashmere Convalescent Center head administrator William Dronen voluntarily surrendered his nursing home administrator license in December after a state report issued in May found the nursing home failed to report numerous sexual assaults on three female residents by one of its male residents.

Dronen's son Mark took over as head administrator of the convalescent center in December. The facility was also fined $6,500 by the state and is currently facing a civil lawsuit.

William Dronen, who has worked as a nursing home administer since 1973, gave up his license at an informal disposition of the Washington State Department of Health Board of Nursing Home Administrators on Dec. 11, 2015. By doing so he avoided further consequences from the state.

Although he gave up his license, Dronen did not admit to any wrong doing and should not be taken as or construed to be a finding of unprofessional behavior or an admission of guilt, according to the agreement.

A lawsuit against Cashmere Convalescent Center was filed in Chelan County Superior Court in June 2015 by Lynda Freeman, the sister of one of the female residents. The lawsuit is currently being argued.

February

Council cans garbage collection

The Cashmere City Council unanimously voted, on Monday, Jan. 25, to directed staff to evaluate the proposals of the two garbage service providers as the next step in discontinuing the service from the city.

The staff will review the proposals made by Waste Management and Sunrise Disposal to determine which of the two is the best option for the city to negotiate with, City Attorney Charles Zimmerman said. Staff will then make a recommendation to the council. The review began last week. It is expected to be completed and ready for council review and approval in late February, City Clerk/Treasuer Kay Jones said.

It is unclear at this time when exactly the third party provider will take over garbage services in Cashmere because Members of the Cashmere Business Community that attended the meeting gave the council a round of applause when the vote was made.

CTL grows to five teams

The Caribou Trail League will add Okanogan as a fifth team next year.

Okanogan High School's enrollment numbers have increased so it can compete in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's single A division instead of the two B division. The enrollment numbers are not official yet, Cashmere School District Athletic Director Jeff Carlson said. It will be finalized by next week.

The biggest benefit to having five teams is the ability to challenge another league for a second place in the state championship tournament, Carlson said.

The current configuration, with Cashmere, Cascade, Chelan and Omak, the CTL can only send one team to the playoffs. Currently the only thing that is certain is that Okanogan joining the league.

"We don't know exactly what the league structure will look like," Carlson said. "We still have to decide what we will do without 20 game schedules."

The league representatives will meet today to finalize the fall sports schedule, Carlson said. That is when it will be determined how many games will be played against each team. If all the games are played against the league competitors then each team will play each other four times. That can get tedious.

Chamber elects new leaders

The Cashmere Chamber of Commerce elected new members to lead it for 2016. Members of the chamber voted to elect a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and five board members to serve for one year. After serving one year as a board member, Jay Zimmerman of Crunch Pak was elected to serve as president.

As president Zimmerman is looking forward to bringing more people into Cashmere for events like Founders' Days and Scare-Crazy.

"I think there is a lot here in Cashmere," Zimmerman said. "There is a lot we can do as a chamber."

The idea is to get people to come to Cashmere for these events and they will want to stay and eat at one of the restaurants in town and do some shopping.

Zimmerman also looks forward to welcoming new businesses to the community and working with business owners to see what the members of the chamber want done.

Four vie for Queen of Cashmere

Four Cashmere High Schools juniors were in the running to be named Cashmere Royalty at the annual selection pageant at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28.

Three judges will evaluate candidates based on personal interviews, a composed speech, poise, talent and performance during impromptu questions.

The 2016 Cashmere Royalty candidates include:

n Tiffany Rankin, daughter of Paul and Jessica Rankin.

n Rebecca Acton, daughter of Craig and Natalie Acton

n Izzy Bartholdt, daughter of Lynnette Lefebvre and Ralph Bartholdt

n Caryn Jagla, daughter of Tim and Stacey Jagla.

The queen and two princesses will receive a $1,000 scholarship provided by the Cashmere Rotary Club. Awards for outstanding speaker, talent, academic achievement and congeniality also will be given. Tickets, available at Doane's Valley Pharmacy or at the door, are $10 for adults, $7 for students/seniors or $30 for a family of single residence up to six. The doors open at 3 p.m. The pageant organizers suggest families consider finding outside care for young children.

Sunrise Disposal gets nod

for garbage contract

The City Council decided to begin the negotiation process with Sunrise Disposal to take over garbage collection in the city.

At the Monday, Feb. 8, meeting the council voted unanimously to direct staff to negotiate with Sunrise after hearing the report on the garbage services committee. The committee, which included City Clerk/Treasurer Kay Jones, City Attorney Charles Zimmerman and Mayor Jeff Gomes, met in late January and early February to compare offers from Sunrise Disposal and Waste Management and made a recommendation to go with Sunrise.

"They (Sunrise Disposal) seemed to have a more hometown feel than Waste Management," Gomes said. "Also they intend to rent space in the city for truck storage and an office."

Gomes added that customers should notice little change in their garbage collection service. The times and day may change and the billing will be handled through Sunrise. Customer service will still be handled personally, Gomes said, where the phone is answered by a person rather than a machine.

Collings leaves chamber

After serving as the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce manager for 11 months, Dawn Collings has accepted a job with Crown Paper.

The company approached Collings with a job offer.

"It seemed like an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Collings said. "It has been a pleasure to work with everyone in the community."

Collings will be missed by the chamber and the community, recently elected chamber President Jay Zimmerman said.

"I personally consider this a loss for the chamber," he said. "She did a lot to restructure the whole chamber to get it back on track."

The position of chamber manager was part time until Collings took the job. With her full attention Collings helped to pull the chamber together and organize various events throughout the year. Collings was the third manager in as many years.

School board weighs $12.4 M bond

The Cashmere School District is proposing a bond issue for the modernization of the high school and to add six new classrooms to Vale Elementary School. The estimated dollar amount is for $12.4 million to be raised locally, with a state match of another $11.2 million.

A third party building assessment team, lead by Loofburrow Wetch Architects, who designed Cashmere Middle School, made the recommendation to the school board to modernize and update Vale after completing an assessment in 2015 of all three schools.

The high school is 35 years old, said Cashmere School District Superintendent Glenn Johnson. It has been maintained and is structurally sound, but still needs to be modernized.

March

$12.4 million school bond goes to voters April 26

The Cashmere School Board decided on Monday, Feb. 22, to adopt a bond proposal, to be voted on during an April 26 election, for the modernization of Cashmere High School and to add six classrooms to Vale Elementary School.

The measure needs a 60 percent majority to pass.

If adopted by the voters, the bond would raise $12.4 million dollars locally, with a 20-year pay-off plan. That would generate another $11.2 million from the state in match money.

The state money is available now if the measure passes in April, Cashmere Superintendent Glenn Johnson said. Once the state determines a district is eligible for match money, it has never not supplied it, but if the bond measure fails the first time, the district might not receive funds from the state as quickly.

The current bond was passed in 2005 for the construction of the new middle school, which cost $16.3 million. The rate, when passed, was $2.84 per $1,000 worth of assessed property value. That rate has since dropped to $2.01 per $1,000 because of a slight increase in the assessed property value in the district.

Jagla crowned queen

With a new rush of jitters and smiles stretched ear to ear, the four girls awaited the results of the Cashmere Royalty pageant on Sunday. A surge of excitement coursed through the crowd as Caryn Jagla was named Queen of Cashmere.

Her knees shook and she struggled to hold back tears as the tiara was placed on her head.

The light danced off the jewels in the crowns and the sequins in the dresses of Jagla and her three princesses: Izabel Bartholdt, Tiffany Rankin and Rebekah Acton, all juniors at Cashmere High School. All four girls will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Cashmere Rotary Club. The judges for the event were Lori Reed, Rene Baca and Shana Anders. Reed has been the Apple Blossom Royalty chaperone for the last two years, Baca teaches Spanish at Wenatchee Valley College and Anders has judged pageants in the past.

The theme for the speech was "We have the beat." Each candidate had a separate interpretation of that. "Life is a polyrhythm of a person's beat in life," Rankin said.

Chamber lauds Cheadle, Franklin

The Cashmere Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual recognition dinner, honoring the Cashmere citizen and business on the year. Tracy Franklin, the 2015 Citizen of the year, and Bruce Cheadle State Farm Insurance, the 2015 Business of the year, both had the opportunity to say a few words after accepting the honor.

"I'd like to thank the academy for this business of the year award," Cheadle said during his Oscar inspired thank you speech. "Thank you to the Cashmere office, some great hidden treasures there."

Franklin spoke from the heart during her thank you speech. "I just want to say thank you," she said. She was honored because of her charity work through the Cashmere Rotary Club and her mentoring and work with high school students. "These are all things I enjoy and it's who I am," Franklin said.

Before the two honorees spoke, the members of the Cashmere community ate dinner catered by Ravenous Catering.

Wacoka Kiwanis dinner helps Torres family

A father of seven, Dionicico Torres Sanchez worked in the orchards in the area and his wife, Angelica, works in the warehouses in and around Cashmere. They were chasing the American Dream. Then Dionicio Torres started to get sick last fall. Has now been hospitalized in Seattle. The doctors are now saying that he has cancer, said Salbador Lanuza, the cousin of Dionicio Torres by marriage. To help with the bills, Cashmere's Wacoka Kiwanis club hosted a benefit on Sunday to aid the family, part of the group's annual St. Patrick's Day dinner, were over 150 people attended.

The Wenatchee Valley High School Mariachi Band was there to serenade the crowd as they ate their dinner of beef stew and corned beef and cabbage.

"We want to thank the community for helping out," Lanuza said. Since Torres was relocated to Seattle, the younger children have been staying with their Lanuza cousins though they call Lanuza and his wife Maria de Jesus Acevedo aunt and uncle.

Recycling logistics end Sunrise negotiations

Sunrise Disposal backed out of contract negotiations with the City of Cashmere last week after it became clear that garbage and single stream recycling could not be picked up on the same day.

The city has started negotiations with Waste Management. Cashmere Mayor Jeff Gomes hopes that a deal can be reached by the next city council meeting on March 28. If a deal between the city and Waste Management is reached by the end of this month the city should be out of the garbage collection business by early August, Gomes said.

Picking up the garbage and recycling on the same day is an industry standard, Gomes said. It was also part of the proposal submitted by Dion Gotti, part owner and vice president of Sunrise, earlier this year.

"He was going away from his original proposal," Gomes said.

To pick up garbage and recycling on the same day Sunrise would have to commit two trucks to the area instead of just one, Gotti said. One of those $300,000 trucks would only be used every other week, so it was not feasible from a financial standpoint.

"I wanted to work this out," Gotti said. "This is incredibly disappointing for us."

Skatepark design finished

Evergreen Skateparks, the designer and contractor for the Cashmere skatepark, completed the design phase of the project and was set to begin construction in June.

The $150,000 skatepark is part of the Riverside Park improvements that the city received a $250,000 match grant from the state in 2015. The entire project will cost $500,000. The park improvements also include new restrooms, playground equipment, new grass and a larger parking lot.

The skatepark is tentatively scheduled to open late this summer with construction taking about six weeks.

Discussions about the skatepark and other improvements to Riverside Park began in July after the city received the grant from the state. The Portland-based Evergreen Skateparks designed the park to be usable by skaters of all skill levels, Evergreen spokeswoman Catherine Coulon said.

The 4,500-square-foot park will have a stairway for four to five skaters to skate on at once. Ramps and an area where skaters can flow through without pushing are also some prominent features.

Cashmere High School shows its age

At 35 years old, Cashmere High School is starting to show its age, with temperature control, plumbing, roofing and electrical systems all needing to be updated.

The bond proposal on the April 26 ballot, if passed, will pay for a modernization of the high school as well as expansions at Vale Elementary School. Combined, the projects will cost $23.6 million, Cashmere School District Superintendent Glenn Johnson said. Of that total, $12.4 million will be raised locally and the state will match that with $11.2 million. Property taxes will increase to $2.89 per $1,000 for 2016 and then are expected to decrease as other bonds are paid off, according to projections from D.A. Davidson, a financial firm in Wenatchee.

The high school needs the $21.5 million modernization to update the various systems in the building and add space to accommodate future growth, CHS Principal Tony Boyle said.

"We think we are going to grow," he said. "Right now we are at capacity."

Enrollment is currently at 475 students at the high school. The increased kindergarden enrollment being seen at Vale Elementary School will eventually make its way to the high school, Boyle said. Cashmere Middle School has room to accommodate that increase, the high school does not.

April

Vale: 'Bursting at the seams'

Over the past four years the number of students at Cashmere's Vale Elementary School has steadily increased, creating the need for more classrooms. The proposed bond on the April 26 ballot, if approved, would fund six new classrooms at the elementary school and allow for modernization of Cashmere High School.

The estimated cost of the additions to Vale is $2.1 million. The estimated cost of the modernization of the high school is $21.5 million. Of the total $23.6 million bond, $12.4 will be raised locally. The state will match that with $11.2 million.

"That match is not something that comes around everyday," Cashmere School District Superintendent Glenn Johnson said.

Once the state has determined a district is eligible for match money the district has always received it, he said. The district is a property poor district, meaning that the property values are not high enough to raise enough funds through local taxes to support itself. So the state will provide match money. If the bond is approved the rate paid by property owners will increase by 93 cents to $2.89 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which will then decrease as other bonds are paid off, Johnson said.

City pool project heats up

As part of the pool improvement project, the city will install four new heat pumps to heat the pool more efficiently than the current system. The new $58,000 heat pumps, paid for by the Chelan County Public Utility District, will save the city $7,000 to $9,000 annually in pool heating costs, said Mark Botello, director of planning and zoning for Cashmere.

"We are looking at ways to be more efficient," Botello said. "With this new heat pump system we will be more efficient."

The pool does not generate enough revenue to be self sufficient so it is subsidized by the city's general fund, Botello said. Because of the savings with the new heat pumps, the funds from the general fund used for the pool will be reduced. The new heat pumps will save the PUD 285,000 kilowatt hours annually, said Jim White, PUD spokesman. That is equivalent to 12 homes' annual power usage.

Students become teachers for state competition

Submitted by Delaney Strutzel, Cashmere High School Senior and FFA member: Our FARM team consists of six girls from our FFA Chapter. Our seniors are Delaney Strutzel, Hannah Asmussen and Ellie York. Our sophomores are Carley Kruiswyk, Rainey Reed and Myah Lowe.

The FARM projects are about teaching the youth of our community important information that FFA is involved in, as well as information that is valuable for everyday life. This year, our unit was nutrition. The objective our team decided on was to give these kids a basis on nutrition so that they can apply it to their lives.

We taught four lessons to Mrs. Kruiswyk's 3rd grade class at Vale Elementary School in Cashmere over a period of three weeks.

Our first lesson was on sugar and how too much can be unhealthy. We explained the three main types of sugar. We had each table group find the amount of sugar that each food we had prepared had in each serving and put the amounts in Ziplock bags to see which food had the most sugar.

Our next lesson was on the Food Groups. We started by briefly explaining the six main nutrients and how there are a mixture of them in each food they eat. After, we gave a brief description of each of the five food groups. Then, we helped them with a 3-4 page packet on categorizing and labeling the types of food that go in each of the food groups.

Weed warriors fight invasive species

Many of us are used to the sight of Dr. Ed Myer walking the roadside, eradicating weeds. He has been at this for at least 30 years.

When interviewed at his home where he immediately offered pamphlets and postcard photos of the 10 least wanted weed species.

"Working at weed control means not letting them go to seed. That is most important when it comes to puncture vine, aka goat heads. It's disappointing to see how many people permit those seeds to mature where they get into shoes and tires, spreadi20.3ng them around to multiply. The plant grows so fast it's easily controlled using an ordinary herbicide or pulled using a bare hand. They come up easily and can then be bagged or tossed into the garbage." Myer said. "How safe are the herbicides?" he reflected on this question. "We don't assume that we can know for sure how safe any one is. So, it's important that anyone using them follow the instructions for their application and doing whatever helps to minimize human/animal exposure. For example, when spraying, one should be aware of even light breezes and stay upwind of the spray."

Martin's IGA goes organic

David Weber, general manager of Martin's IGA Market Fresh, is announcing a greatly expanded selection of natural and organic food offerings.

"Organic prices are coming down and becoming a good value when compared to nonorganic," says Weber. "Even General Mills and Kraft are changing their formulas to healthier ingredients."

Directly next to McGregor Farms local honey, the dry good aisle offers many gluten free, organic and natural choices. Natural Directions, the organic house brand, is interspersed throughout the store and items such as pickles, ketchup, vinegars, juices, canned vegetables and beans will be found side by side next to the regular products in their usual places.

Rob Larson, meat department manager, is bringing in Dakota Grass Fed Beef for the grilling season. Organic "Smart Chicken" is also available along with natural pork and other humanely farmed meats.

The store features lunch meat that is nitrite and nitrate free, gluten free bread in the freezer beside Amy's Organics pizzas and microwavable meals as well as chemical free rotisserie chicken in the deli at the front of the store.

May

Voters quietly approve $12.4 million school bond

With only a few ballots still to be counted, the April 26 Cashmere School District construction bond is considered passed.

The tally listed at the Chelan County Auditor's Office was at just under 70 percent "yes" when Bob Wildfang, a member of Cashmere School's Facilities Committee, came into the Cashmere Valley Record office.

Asked if he had been at all worried about its passing, he replied, "There's always some worry but not really because the people of Cashmere are always so supportive of school levies and bonds." He added that "This was the quietest election ever. I didn't hear hardly anything one way or the other. This community has high expectations for its schools so it's a good marriage."

Cashmere School District Superintendent Glenn Johnson said he would like to thank the community. "Tuesday's overwhelming support of the bond issue (69.87-percent yes vote) was a true reflection of this support and commitment," he said.

The bond sale is targeted for the end of June with proceeds/funds available by the end of July. Following the bond sale, the next phase of the process is the "design phase" that will result in the bid specifications for the projects. Bidding is anticipated in the spring of 2017 with construction to follow.

Aplets Way project nearly complete

The Aplets Way project was nearing completion. According to Mike Still, foreman for J&K Earthworks, except for a few finishing touches, the construction work on Aplets Way should be completed by week's end.

The first phase was completed last year. It included the roundabout at the intersection of Cottage Way and Aplets, gutter repairs and sewer and water infrastructure repairs. That phase cost just over $900,000, which was $71,000 under budget. The second phase, which started in early April, cost $400,000 and included resurfacing and sidewalk repairs from Cottage Avenue to U.S. Highway 2.

The grinding and resurfacing parts of the project were done overnight to cause as little of a disruption as possible.

Man drowns after raft flips

A 53-year-old man lost his life after going into the water on a commercial float trip on the Wenatchee River.

The deceased is identified as Keith M. Thomas of Shelton. He and a female teenage relation were on a float trip May 4, conducted by Orion River Rafting. Thomas, the girl and an operator were the only occupants of the raft.

At around 2 p.m., the raft flipped over near Dryden. Both the man and girl were ejected from the raft, according to Chelan County Sheriff Chief of Special Operations Dave Helvey. The girl was able to climb back into the raft, but Thomas was not.

A safety kayaker who accompanied the raft attempted to assist the man to shore. CPR was performed on Thomas for more than 30 minutes, but they were unable to revive him. Both the man and girl were wearing wet suits and personal floatation devices.

The river is running fairly high now, but Helvey could not say that contributed to the accident.

School district aces compliance review

Cashmere's Consolidated Program Review onsite visit revealed just how well Cashmere School District is doing.

The purpose of the CPR is to check compliance with state and federal mandates from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Washington Integrated System of Monitoring, which includes No Child Left Behind; Career, Technical Education, Vocational; Civil Rights and Highly Capable, the last being a program which addresses children who need enrichment activities.

"This was a very technical and detailed audit," said Cashmere School District Superintendent Glenn Johnson. "They want us to get better and we want to get better. It allowed us to take stock of where we're at. We learned how blessed we are, as our review was really clean. We have a lot to be proud of."

Rhett Morgan was the lead for the team that prepared for the onsite review. The team included Dwight Remick, Kristi Daley, Tori Tinker who handled data reporting, and Lisa Avila.

The things that need correcting were very small glitches. Strengths include Cashmere's bilingual students are outperforming the general population. Good marks were given on the athletic civil rights recruitments for sports for both male and female and minority students.

June

City signs garbage contract with Waste Management

The Cashmere City Council voted to accept a new 10-year contract for garbage collection services with Waste Management Incorporated at the May 23 council meeting.

Sunrise Disposal backed out of contract negotiations to provide the service in mid- March after it became clear that garbage and single stream recycling could not be picked up on the same day.

Cashmere Mayor Jeff Gomes had hoped to have a new deal reached by March 28 so Cashmere would be out of the garbage business by early August. The contract took longer to negotiate because Waste Management is a much larger corporation, he said.

The new contract goes into effect Oct. 1. The city will continue to provide garbage service until then. The change has been in the works since Aug. 24, 2015, when the council sought cost estimates to replace a garbage truck.

The cost of a new truck had risen from $250,000 to $375,000, and that cost difference was not in the city's budget. "Between the cost of replacing the truck and the salaries for two city workers, it made financial sense to make this change," Gomes said. "The city would have had to substantially increase the rates if it continued to provide the service."

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