Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith announced Spector Manufacturing's bid to provide a new Transfer Station trailer has been accepted.

The Saint Clair, Pa., company is scheduled to deliver the trailer within 60 days.

Spector was the low bidder among the three bids received by the town for the replacement of one trailer.

The highest bid was from Messer Trucking Equipment from Westbrook with a bid of $82,775, and a trade-in allowance for the 1993 transfer truck of $2,000.

The second bid was from Spector, with a bid of $59,064, and a trade-in allowance of $6,000; and the third bid was from Stete of Dorchester, Mass., with a bid of $63,830, and a trade-in allowance of $1,100.

At their November 6 meeting, selectmen decided they would not invest any more money in the repairs of the two trailers. Lear explained the condition of the two trailers (the 1991 trailer and the 1993 trailer) and the cost to repair them.

The cost to repair the 1993 trailer, which is used to deliver waste to PERC is estimated to be $16,000 to $22,000; the current value of the trailer is estimated at around $1,000 to $2,000, according to Lear.

The selectmen agreed that the town needs to replace the 1991 trailer used to hold and transport single stream recycling to West Bath. An estimated $25,000 to replace the compactor is not nearly as expensive as the cost of another new trailer. The compactor was recommended by Lear.

Bids will be opened at the next Board of Selectmen meeting on December 3 for the compactor.

The purchase of the compactor will complete the replacement of the two trailers at the transfer station, which are in poor condition and will not pass inspection, according to Wiscasset Transfer Station Superintendent Ron Lear.

The compacting system will require an annual operating cost of about $5,000 for the transport of the container to West Bath, and the town will no longer be required to transport the trailer. The town manager pointed out that the town would save money on gasoline and labor, and that the upfront cost of the compactor is half the cost of a new trailer.