Gilpin has acquired a new 2024 Massey Ferguson 4×4 tractor equipped with a Mowmaster boom and 50-inch deck. The machine replaces the township’s 1997 Massey Ferguson, which in recent years has required various costly repairs, officials said.
Kevin Miller, township supervisor and chair of road maintenance, said the new equipment will be safer, more time efficient and will save the township money in the long run since consistent repairs will no longer be needed.
“(The previous tractor) was a dinosaur,” Miller said. “It was nickle and diming us to death.”
The new equipment will be used to continue maintaining township and PennDOT rights-of-way, providing more reliable and efficient mowing operations. Township officials noted the investment will improve service while reducing long-term maintenance costs.
Sharon Long, township secretary and treasurer, said the new tractor cost just under $175,000 and was paid for with a loan from Nextier Bank and a down payment from the capital reserve fund.
Miller said the township took out a five-year loan for the tractor and put down $49,500. He said officials plan to use some of the liquid fuel money that Gilpin receives for maintaining state roads to pay off the loan.
“We’re not raising taxes. We’re not making taxpayers pay for it,” he said.
