By Bill Grubb
News Editor

BULLS GAP - City residents had to wait for Mother Nature to clean the snow off the streets because the lone truck that can be equipped with a blade is out of commission.
    The Bulls Gap Board of Mayor and Aldermen discussed the status of the 1998 Ford, and whether to repair or replace the vehicle, at Monday's BMA meeting.
    Alderman Susan Williams said she learned about the problem with the truck after she had been approached by a former city official who questioned why the city did not "clean the streets" following recent snows.
    The Ford truck and blade were purchased as a package and the town's other vehicle, an older model pick-up truck, is not equipped to handle the blade, leaving the town without any way to clear snow.
    "They (employees) said it started knocking and acting up and we sent it down to have it looked at," Mayor Robin Horner said, adding that he decided to wait for the entire board to determine how to handle the situation. "It is going to cost $500 for them just to pull the engine and see if they can find the problem. If we are talking about installing a rebuilt engine we could be looking at $3,500 to $4,000."
    "Not that I am saying we need to get a new truck, but should we really spend that much money on a 12-year-old truck that has who knows how many miles?" Alderman Jimmy Sexton inquired.
    Alderman Charles Johnson agreed that "if we are spending $4,000 on an engine this time we could be looking at a new transmission and have more money in the truck than it's even worth."
    Like patients who have been given a diagnosis they question, the board opted to seek a second opinion from an area mechanic and get additional cost estimates
for repairs.
     The board also authorized Johnson and Vice mayor Pete Shipley to explore the cost of obtaining a new or "good used" truck.
    "We need to do something pretty soon because if our other truck goes down we would have a problem,"  Horner noted.
    With no other items of business on the agenda, the board voted to recess Monday's meeting and reconvene Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. to discuss how to deal with the truck issue.