The Clarkesville City Council discussed the possible purchase of a leaf sweeping unit at their Nov. 16 work session to keep city street conditions safer following storms and in the fall season.
In many cities across the United States, having a street sweeping vehicle is standard to keep roads clear of debris. Debris on city streets can taint water supplies and make roads dangerous during rainy weather, and Clarkesville is interested in bringing a leaf sweeping unit to the city to address those safety concerns.
“We had a situation where we had a rainstorm come in and there were a lot of wet leaves on the ground because we don’t have a street sweeping program at this point in time,” says Clarkesville City Manager Keith Dickerson. “There was just some concern about sliding on the wet leaves and thought that there might be some benefit to having a street sweeper in town.”
The leaf sweeping unit would have more uses than just leaf removal from the city’s streets, though that would be its main use. Dickerson says it could help with parade cleanup, storm debris on the city’s streets and parking lot cleanup. It would not be for leaves on residential properties, and those would still need to be bagged as usual.
The purchase would cost around $37,000, and the city manager believes it could be funded by ARP or SPLOST funds.
The council has given Dickerson the go-ahead to see the leaf sweeping unit in person and report back to the council once he has further information for further discussion.
