By CRISTINE MEIXNER

Express Editor

LAKE PLEASANT - The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has added two vehicles to its fleet: a decommissioned military Humvee and a snowmobile donated by the Town of Arietta.

Neither has cost taxpayers even a dime.

The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), better known as a Humvee, is on loan from the United States Department of Defense. Sheriff Karl Abrams doesn’t think the DOD will ever want it back, as it is switching to armored Humvees.

Abrams said the Humvee will be a great asset to the county. “It will be used for all search and rescue / recovery details, backwoods patrols, marijuana extradition, mountaintop radio tower repairs and any other situation that may warrant it,” he said.

It will also be available to any agency in the county to help deal with emergency situations: fire departments, law enforcement and emergency medical services.

The 1986 HMMWV M1025 has only 26,000 miles on it. It came from Fort Drum through a program instituted by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Abrams has made arrangements for Automotive Body Class students at Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board Of Cooperative Educational Services in Johnstown to paint and detail the Humvee free of charge as a class project.

“The only expense would be to purchase the paint, and that has already been donated by two Hamilton County entities,” Abrams said.

The Humvee will be maintained by Hamilton County Highway Department mechanics. Parts are available free through a DOD web-based search.

In the event of a major mechanical problem the vehicle will be returned to the DOD and a new one may be issued.

The sheriff’s office has been approved for a second Humvee due to the size of Hamilton County, Abrams said. He is waiting to see if there is a need for a second one.

The snowmobile was donated by the Town of Arietta, which found it unsuitable for winter trail grooming and declared it surplus equipment, according to Abrams.

It is a 2006 Arctic Cat Bearcat Wide Track 660 four-stroke with 1,200 miles on it. Timothy O’Neill of What’s Your Sign in Wells added graphics to the cowl.