Street Sweeping
Street sweeping occurs each spring and fall, at the completion of the Town’s snow and ice operations (spring) and again before winter hits (fall).
Street Sweeping is one of the DPW’s major tasks. It includes the pickup of the sand used during the winter as well as leaves, pine needles, and trash that has collected on the street over the last year. Street sweeping also helps prevent roadway flooding by cleaning catch basins.
To accomplish this task, a street sweeper is used to clean approximately 200+ lane miles of roadways. Additional pieces of equipment used during sweeping operations include front-end loaders, blowers and dump trucks. The Town is currently required to sweep every road at least twice per year. In order to accomplish in a timely manner, we utilize 2nd and 3rd shift hours, dispatching sweepers on a nightly basis.
Residents and business owners should be aware that there are two predominant factors which adversely affect the sweeping schedule; equipment breakdowns and weather. Street sweepers operate in the worst possible conditions (i.e. constant dust) and, even with proper maintenance and constant attention, equipment down-time due to mechanical problems is inevitable. Sweeping can be done during a light, misting rain, the sweepers cannot handle wet, muddy sand.
The DPW also works to clean sidewalks after the winter throughout Town. This may mean the additional equipment listed above is used in front of the street sweeper.
For further information you may contact DPW Director Chris Gallagher 508 543-1228 or email at [email protected].