Partnership Aims to Improve Service and Save Money
The City has partnered with the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District on a pilot project that will use new technology to keep sidewalks clean.
“We’re continuously looking for better and more affordable ways to improve how we deliver services, and we want to help our citizens do the same thing," says Brandon Harris, Director of Roadways and Operations. "In this case, using new partnerships and new technology will hopefully improve the way BID sweep their sidewalks, and provide a cost savings for the City at the same time."
“In the city centre, sidewalks are swept by the Downtown Saskatoon BID, but catch basins, gutters, and bike lanes are kept free of debris by the city. By combining these two jobs, cost savings can be achieved by both the BID and the City.”
This spring, summer and fall, a pilot study will be done to determine the long-term feasibility of this partnership. The City will provide the equipment and training, and the BID will supply the staff to operate the machinery.
A new piece of sweeping equipment called a Micro Air Street Sweeper will be used for the study. The Air Sweeper is designed for narrow and congested locations such as sidewalks, gutters and bike lanes. It also utilizes different technology than traditional sweepers to control dust in high population areas, helping to keep the area cleaner.
“A clean and safe district is our top priority,” says Brent Penner, Executive Director of Downtown Saskatoon’s Business Improvement District.
“Downtown Saskatoon’s “Clean Team” is responsible for keeping the public right-of-way looking clean and pristine. Our staff is looking forward to utilizing this new piece of equipment with its broad capabilities as it will allow us to operate more efficiently in cleaning our district. We’re excited to be partnering with the City on this pilot project.”
The pilot study will be evaluated at the end of the season to identify lessons learned and the feasibility of continuing and expanding a similar model to the other Business Improvement Districts. The partnership is expected to save the city approximately $20,000 in 2017.