10-08-08 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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In the interest of tong-term performance and benefit to the City, staff believes that a regenerative air sweeper would be the best option due to its benefit to water quality along with its ability to make streets look clean to the average citizen. Based on conversations with both dealer representatives the Pelican may have a longer life but there is also core chance for problems with so many mechanical parts. The public works department has established a very high quality maintenance program for its equipment. This should help extend the life of any sweeper purchased. Another key component to the addition of a sweeper is an operator. The public works department is stretched thin as it is and the additional task of sweeping would be too difficult to include with the regular crew. Staff is proposing that an operator be hired on apart-time basis to sweep beginning right away when the snow melts. The operator would due a full city-wide sweep and then would sweep hot spot areas, such as the Savage Lake and Gervais Lake areas, intermittently throughout the summer, and would then sweep throughout the fall to pick up leaves and other debris. Ideally, the operator would also run a dump truck to and from the site as it filled up. A full-time employee could drop it off in a neighborhood in the morning and then pick it up at the end of the day. Both dealer representatives Ispoke with said they have a list of potential operators that would be perfect for that type of work. A pay schedule would need to be worked out for apart-time worker. An additional concern is the disposal of the sweepings. We have been using Ramsey County's dumpsite at Kent St. in Roseville but they are closing that site this year and we will no longer be able to use it. Most cities screen their piles and re-use the sweepings for water main breaks and other fill areas. We do not have the space to store that volume of fill or the need for that much fill. Frador may be an option for disposal in the short term. The City of White Bear Lake disposes of their leaves at the Ramsey County Compost site in White Bear Township so it appears we could dispose of our fall leaves at the same site. Rosevilie's compost site may be another possibility. Staff will continue to research possible options for material disposal. If it has to be taken to a landfill the cost will most likely outweigh the benefit. In summary, a sweeper will cost from $130,000 to $200,000 depending on the style we choose. A regenerative air sweeper would be batter for water quality and would get around the city faster and easier. Apart-time employee would need to be hired to sweep and the disposal sites would have to be figured out. There shouldn't be a cost for disposal unless we have to use a landfill. Staff recommends the purchase of a regenerative air sweeper due to the positive impact it would have on water quality. Pre-wetting: The City switched to 100% salt for its de-icing operations last year. It was a tremendous success as we used much less material than in years past while regaining wet blacktop sooner in most cases. Our sweeping costs decreased as well. To take it another step further many cities are starting to use pre-wetted salt. Pre-wetted salt allows it to stick to where it lands and begin working faster. Dry salt has a tendency to be blown off the road by vehicles as well as the wind. Studies have shown that up to twenty percent Tess salt can be used bypre-wetting. This could help improve water quality by using only enough 27