Photo Provided Charlie Ebert, Ricky Ebert, Peoples Bank Branch Manager Tina Bell, and Mayor Bill Rice are excited about Sistersville’s new garbage truck.

The town of Sistersville has faced many issues with the town’s garbage trucks being frequently out of commission. Although the town owned two trucks, both were continuously faulty. Mayor Bill Rice said one truck was purchased about a year ago from Moundsville for $10,000. This particular truck was an older model and had been having issues with the brake lines.

The second garbage truck they owned was a Freightliner truck purchased five to six years ago. Rice reported that the truck had been having issues since they bought it. It was said that there were code issues rendering the truck nonoperational. At this point, the truck had to be towed to a shop in Parkersburg, as it was the closest business with the necessary tools to fix it.

Rice reported that these problems had been ongoing since before he became mayor. The process was also said to be costly, and it caused the townspeople’s trash to begin to accumulate. As a result of this, town officials began to look into ways to fix this issue.

Mayor Rice said that discussion was held about Solid Waste taking responsibility for the town, but the residents were greatly opposed to this idea. One city employee – Charlie Ebert – said that citizens appreciate their work and wanted them to continue. It was because of this that officials began to work on acquiring a new truck in order to eliminate this problem.

Although the town had been making moves to purchase a new truck since October, Mayor Bill Rice reported that they were facing difficulties in receiving financing to support this. After what Rice called a long process, the city was able to purchase a new truck as a result of a loan offered from Peoples Bank.

Photo by Maddisen Eidel Sistersville’s new garbage truck was purchased with a loan from Peoples Bank in Sistersville.

Rice reported that many local banks had been contacted by officials and were considering it. It was said that Union Bank, WesBanco, and First National Bank also made offers. After careful consideration and review, the town made a decision to go with Peoples Bank for their loan.

Rice said that the town is very grateful for the financing this bank has offered. It was reported that the town secured this loan for 4.6 percent over 84 months.

Employees and much of the community are “tickled to death” according to the mayor.

“It took a load of weight off my shoulders.” Rice said about the deal.

The town received the new truck early on Wednesday, Jan. 23, much to the delight of officials, and the truck was used for operation for the first time that evening. City Mayor Bill Rice thanks the community for their patience and support in this process.