Street sweepers on the move

Be prepared to remove your vehicles from the streets – the Town of Okotoks is starting its spring cleanup early this year.

Crews began street sweeping on Monday in the downtown area and Cimarron neighbourhoods are next on the list and will see signs set up for cleaning within the next week.

The Town expects to have the job complete over the next six to eight weeks. People can expect to see signs popping up around the community asking residents to remove their vehicles from roads as crews work their way through town.

Okotoks communications specialist Melanie Heemeryck said the goal is to have every road in town cleaned within the next few months.

“If they see an area with parked cars, they do come back,” said Heemeryck. “They endeavour to make sure they go back over the next few months to ensure all roads are swept.”

Crews will be out between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., with night-shift cleaning on major thoroughfares taking place from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The public are reminded to stay back from street cleaning machinery and proceed with caution when traveling behind or passing street sweepers.

Annual street cleaning is occurring more than one month earlier than usual this year after the mild winter.

Transportation manager Jamie Greenshields said the warm weather through February and March has also seen the Town spend less than normal for snow removal for 2016 so far.

“I don’t have actual dollar amounts but we certainly experienced savings as a result of less overtime and contract services required,” said Greenshields.

However, the budget spans the entire year and major snow events between September and December could erase any significant savings seen in the first quarter, he said.

For more information about street cleaning visit the Town’s website at www.okotoks.ca.