A new mini excavator will be added to the City's fleet after it was approved at City council on Monday night. 

The city purchased a 2019 CAT 308 CR from Finning Canada for $167,958.60, saving the city a total of over $32,000 as they had approved $200,000 to be spent on a new unit. 

The unit will be used for various projects, including catch basin replacement, small deep utility jobs, and water valve rehabilitation. 

Mitch Minken, general manager of infrastructure and operations with the City of Swift Current, said that they went with the CAT 308 CR due to its operational and maintenance features. 

"This machine acts as a backhoe/excavator combination, which enables the unit to work in tight and compact areas," he said. "The articulation boom attachment allows for safer operation, as it does not block the operators view giving clear vision for the work area when on a dig site.

"The advanced coupler allows the bucket to change direction and be used as a shovel with the push of a button. This saves time and increases safety with the ability to undermine sidewalks and dig up to obstacles without having to have crew members in the ditch." 

Minken added that other positives of the unit are reduced downtime between services due to maintenance and an extra 20 percent fuel capacity. 

Before the purchase of the unit, the City had to contract out. The decision was made to purchase the unit based on a scoring rating of 69.2, beating out the other two options, which scored 59.6 and 54.4.

Minken noted that the increased productivity, lower maintenance, and higher safety for the workers were the primary reasons the mini excavator beat out its competition.