After almost six months of winter control and snow removal, city staff are transitioning into spring clean-up mode.
Spring cleanup is expected to take about 12 weeks - depending on spring weather conditions - and consists of street sweeping and boulevard restoration maintenance.
Street Sweeping
Street sweeping consists of removing sand from all municipal roads within city limits and city parking lots. This process is conducted by two street sweeping units, a flusher (water) truck, and staff employees.
The city also contracts out a portion of the street sweeping to “aid in a timelier cleaning process,” notes a memo to city councillors.
The process is highly dependent on the weather as sweeping in the rain tends to spread mud on the streets; freezing temperature can cause damage to equipment, ice formation on roads, or snow storm(s) requiring the application of materials, which makes any prior efforts of sweeping redundant.
Cleanup will be conducted in the following order:
- Downtown area;
- Arterial roads and metered parking; and
- All other streets
You can assist city crews in their spring clean up duties by not piling sand on the roadway.
The sweeper cannot pick up piles of sand so it is best if sand is left on the side of the road. Piled sand can be a hazard for traffic and the city may not have crews available to pick up piles of sand until later in May.
Staff over the next month will be working primarily through the day, but may also switch to shift work (afternoons and nights) to accommodate the cleanup.
The memo to councillors notes the city does not routinely remove sand from city sidewalks or driveways. If you are able to remove the sand on sidewalks adjacent to your property, that is much appreciated, staff note.
Should you have excess winter sand, the city’s waste diversion site located on Kitchener Street will accept the sand free of charge to Orillia residents.
Boulevard Restoration
One of the by-products of winter control is damages incurred from equipment on the boulevards.
Typical damage is a result of the snowbank removal process and sidewalk machines straying from the sidewalks.
To repair these damages, staff annually apply seed and topsoil to impacted areas around the city.
If you have questions or concerns about spring clean-up, call the Municipal Operations Centre at 705-326-4585.
