Work crew to spruce up town suggested by citizen

Larry Haynes, Letter to the Editor

(Addressed to Mayor Don Anderberg, Pincher Creek Town Council)

Dear Sir:

I am writing this letter to you and your council regarding my suggestion of setting up a landscaping truck with a lead hand and a crew of three or four people.


To inform my opinion I have twenty years experience in the landscaping business.  My experience includes working on the legislative grounds in Edmonton, in tree nurseries, landscape maintenance in Edmonton and landscape construction in Calgary.  I have also done considerable residential work in Edmonton.

It was most efficient to send out a crew with a 3/4 ton truck and trailer carrying a small loader or landscape equipment or supplies.  (A list of possible equipment is included at the end of this letter.)  The crew would lork together for a full day, allowing time for loading, unloading and cleaning equipment.

Our town needs a lot of attention at this time.  In the next month we have the Alberta Summer Games, our tourism season is in full swing, and we have a number of ratepayers in this town that are very dissatisfied with the quality of work done by our town employees.  I believe a work crew would be able to pull up our community fairly quickly.  A crew working together can certainly do the painting of crosswalks, hydrants, curbs and school zones.  When a crew cuts grass, trees, or deals with weeds, the debris must be put on the truck or trailer, (cleanup in our highly publicly visible areas is absolutely essential to impress our international and other visitors, and to satisfy our local residents.)

Municipal work orders should be issued to promote accountability of the quality of work.  It is advised that the Town Foreman would check on the progress of the work by the crew a couple of times each day.  When the work is completed, it would be signed off bythe Town Foreman.

Your response to this letter will be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Larry Haynes

Suggested list of possible equipment on a town landscape maintenance truck and trailer:

1. lawnmower with grass catcher
2. gasoline can
3. hand tools-shovels, rakes, hoes, wrenches, pliers, sledgehammer etc.
4. weed trimmer
5. grass blower
6. plastic bags
7. water hose and sprinklers
8. brushes and brooms
9. equipment that can be accessed as needed-like pruning tools, chainsaw, pressure washer, curb and crosswalk painting equipment, backpack weed spraying kit with appropriate chemicals, post pounder
10. first aid kit