If you live in the Town of Thorp, you’ll have to haul your own tire collection to the dump. The board of supervisors will not set a precedent whereby township residents expect the township to do this work for them, thereby getting the town and its taxpayers a surcharge for the trouble. At the same time, the town roads will be maintained as expected, now that Thorp has signed a purchase contract for a 2021 modeled John Deere 672 GP Motor Grader, complete with add-ons like a left side extension for road patrolman Loren Gulcynski. With paperwork signed at the September 22 meeting balanced against an $80,000 trade-in value for the old grader, the special town purchase with add-ons is set to cost the Thorp residents a collective $242,400, which led at least one supervisor making an observation.

“I’m surprised more people didn’t show up,” Supervisor Jack Leja said of the special board of supervisors meeting called for September 22 and noticed in the local Shopper. The special meeting became necessary after the township’s current grader made by CAT tested up to seven times above normal copper levels in its engine oil, leading patrolman Gulcynski to tell the town board at its August assembly that “I’m just warning you we could have a serious issue with the grader.” Research and visits to neighboring townships followed, culminating in a visit Tuesday evening from John Deere salesman Tony Siverling of Chippewa Falls. Before the pitch began in earnest Siverling made an acknowledgement.

“I know you’ve been burnt in the past,” he said of the major purchase decision by the township, going on to say that the quote as outlined was for services the Chippewa Falls grader sales firm “guaranteed,” giving one example where the dealership had gone above and beyond because it was “the right thing to do.” Gulcynski made sure that there could be a left side extension for the blade on the six-wheel drive piece of machinery, and then it was time for the audience to weigh in.

“Frank, do you have anything you want to say?” Chairman Louis Andruszkiewicz asked former board member and retired math teacher Frank Reith, the sole attendee besides Siverling and one meeting regular. Reith put some questions to Siverling. Were the grader lights LED? Past grader experience had seen 60 cent light bulbs with $160 in labor cost added on.

“That’s a false economy,” Reith said, adding, “I would hate to see them get another deal like that.” Siverling sought to reassure Reith about the current purchase.

“I take it very seriously,” he said. “I’ve been selling motor graders for 33 years.” One additional benefit of going with Deere meanwhile, was that they were made in the USA, Davenport, Iowa to be more exact.

“That’s the only place they’re made,” Siverling said. “We don’t make them overseas.” This was in contrast to different competitors. But while John Deere would provide financing at 2.5 percent with the first payment next year, Chairman Andruszkiewicz had found a better deal.

“The bank will do it for 2.4 or less,” he said of finance terms and conditions. That wasn’t an issue with Siverling.

“It makes no difference to us,” he said of who the financier was. Asked by Andruszkiewicz if he could skim anything off the $229,500 base price after trade-in but before add-ons, Siverling said the current price was the best he could do. There were a couple John Deere 672 GP graders at the dealership, but without the add-ons. Making the adjustments was cost-intensive and “we wouldn’t make anything” if the models on hand were modified, Siverling said of the sale to Thorp. The new motor grader with add-ons would have to be ordered instead, and arrive in late November to early December. Then it was time to sign the purchasing contract.

“I see Arlene’s name on it,” Andruszkiewicz said of the town clerk. “I reckon she’s going to be the one to buy it.”

“Actually you all three can sign it,” Siverling said of the purchase, with Clerk Kodl’s address being used.

“We need a motion,” Kodl said before the pen was applied. With a motion by Andruszkiewicz, seconded by Supervisor Andy Slowiak, the new town grader should soon arrive.

“Maybe they understand that we do our homework now,” Gulcynski offered to Leja for the low public attendance. Sanitizer and masks were on hand, just in case the public came. And that brought up another issue: upgrading to new plastic furniture and voting booths, the benches at the current hall showing up in an old photo with a long gone wood stove. Age wasn’t the primary reason though.

“Wood is hard to sanitize,” Kodl said of antiviral measures for the upcoming election. With money from the Routes to Recovery Grant due to expire soon if not used, the township needed to apply for a debit card, on the grounds that it had to be a purchase made by the town, rather than a private purchase that was reimbursed.

“We don’t want to just get it from a Walmart,” Kodl said of the chairs, tables, and voting booths in question.

“No, you’ll need industrial grade,” Gulcynski said. The Routes to Recovery Act offers municipalities up to $13,129 for anything COVID-related. Meanwhile, there was the first grader payment of $40,000 to position for next fall, with an old loan getting the final payment made in April, for preparation for the grader. After the initial payout for next year, the town wouldn’t receive more money until late fall 2021, and timing things right was important.

“That’s two miles of granite,” Andruszkiewicz said of the initial $40,000 grader payment measured against needed road projects in the township.

The next town meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Jospeh Back.