The hum of the street sweeper filled the Marysville air this morning for the first time in a while. The city’s sweeper has been in and out of maintenance since last year. The city has purchased a new street sweeper, which will be delivered soon. Tuesday a loaner, pictured above driven by Adam Wise, arrived in town.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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This morning, Marysville residents are noticing something they haven’t seen in a while — street sweeper tracks.
While the street sweeper is not the city’s (it’s a loaner), a new street sweeper is on the way.
“You can notice the difference when our street sweeper is in good working order and when it has been down for maintenance for a while.” said Marysville City Manager Terry Emery.
Emery said that for “a good portion of 2018 and this year, (the city’s sweeper) has been under maintenance.”
Marysville bought its current street sweeper new in 2008. Mike Andrako, Marysville Public Service Director said 10 years is about the lifespan and the city was planning to buy a street sweeper this year, but “it became very clear last year was the last year for our street sweeper.”
Emery said that when the street sweeper is down, the city does without. He said residents notice their streets are not as clean. The city manager said not having a street sweeper also allows debris and dirt to get into storm sewers.
Emery said that having a “good, proactive street sweeper with a schedule is a good way for a community to operate.”
To that end, the city has purchased a new street sweeper. Marysville has a five year lease to purchase on a 2019 Elgin Crosswind 1 street sweeper. The city will make five payments of $56,819.44 each, totaling $284,097.20.
“The payments just spread the cost out so it doesn’t hit all at once,” Andrako said.
Emery explained the street sweeper will be purchased out of several accounts because it benefits several departments.
“That’s nice because it doesn’t put a huge burden on any one city line item,” Emery said.
The city manager explained the sweeper has been ordered and was delivered. Officials noticed one of the purchased options was not included.
“They took it back and are giving us a loaner,” Emery said.
The city manager said a street sweeper is a very specialized piece of equipment and needs to be right.
He said the loaner arrived Tuesday and began work this morning. The city’s new sweeper, appropriately equipped, should be delivered “in the next month.”
Emery explained that communities can either purchase their own street sweeper and perform the sweeping itself, or officials can contract with another community or entity for the service.
“We have always believed it is beneficial to us to use our own because you have more control,” Emery said.
The city manager said it is nice to have cleanings on a schedule so residents know the streets are swept on a routine. He said it is also nice to have the flexibility that comes with the city owning its street sweeper. Emery said that following events, the street sweeper can be deployed and the area can be cleaned much more effectively and effecienty.
Andrako added that when street sweeping is contracted, the number of passes is limited to control cost. He said cities with their own street sweeper tend to be swept more often and are cleaner.
Emery said Marysville’s new street sweeper will also allow another community to have their own. He said the city will post the sweeper on an online government auction site. He said he doesn’t know what type of bidding to expect. He said that while the sweeper no longer meets Marysville’s needs, it would be a good addition to a smaller community.
“It can be used on a smaller scale, not every day, if they do the right the right things at the beginning and maintain it,” Emery said.