The town of Byrdstown purchased a new 2020 service truck and mini excavator to increase efficiency between service calls.
Mayor Sam Gibson said before the purchase, crews would travel all day in a backhoe across Pickett County just to fix one water leak. Now, the new truck will pull the excavator to each work site.
“It is so much easier to install water meters, fix leaks and get there,” Gibson said. “When you get there, you have your excavator and service truck all there at the same time.”
Gibson said the amount of repairs performed will double with the new equipment. The total price for both pieces of equipment was about $100,000 with $50,000 paid by a grant.
“These were items we were going to purchase anyway, and we needed,” Gibson said. “That gave us a little bit of cushion and saved us some money. We appreciate Rural Development for the grant help.”
