Sidewalk cleaner introduced for Upper Schuylkill
BY LESLIE RICHARDSON
08/02/2007
MAHANOY CITY — The newest member of the Upper Schuylkill
family is green and clean.
During Wednesday night’s Upper Schuylkill Steering
Committee meeting, Walter Lojeski, area account manager from Applied
Sweepers near Philadelphia, gave borough representatives a demonstration
of the Green Machine, a sidewalk-cleaning machine that will be purchased
by Upper Schuylkill.
The 14-horsepower riding or walk-behind model picks
up cans, cigarette butts, leaves, dirt and glass, and crushes the
debris down to one-third its original size, filling a trash bag that
is easily removed from the machine.
“It is quieter than I thought it was going to be,”
Julian Milewski, Ringtown council president, said.
“The Green Machine will be shared with the six
boroughs in an effort to maintain cleanliness in the downtown areas,”
Upper Schuylkill Executive Director Patrice Rader said. “Each
borough will have the machine at a set time each month. A cleaning
program coordinator will be appointed to set up the schedule.”
“I think it is a great idea for the downtown area,”
Paul Klevis, of Frackville Downtown, said. “It will be an asset
now that we have our new sidewalk.”
The Green Machine and other cleaning equipment are being
purchased with $300,000 of the $1 million grant the revitalization
group received in April.
Upper Schuylkill Downtowns received the grant that will
keep the revitalization group operating through 2011.
State Sen. James J. Rhoades, R-29, made the grant announcement
at an Upper Schuylkill Regional Steering Committee meeting at the
Ashland Downtown Center.
In addition to the machine, a power washer, two line
painters, brooms, shovels, and leaf blowers will also be purchased
for use by the groups.
They will be stored and transported in two trailers
that were purchased in partnership with Home Depot.
© The REPUBLICAN & Herald
2007
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