Summer maintenance operations update
As the summer starts to wind down, the City of Vaughan’s Public Works team continues to provide quality services to enhance and maintain Vaughan’s parks, forests, streets and rivers, and to keep the community safe, clean and beautiful. Here are some updates on maintenance operations that have recently launched and will continue into the fall:
Mechanical Litter Collection Program
Introducing Madvac – a litter collection vacuum! This new machine uses mechanical litter collection technology to clean debris off sidewalks, primary and collector roads. The machine holds an industrial-sized garbage bag that is emptied at a waste facility. Madvac makes cleaning flexible and mobile as operators can easily move from block to block throughout the city.
This machine is another way Public Works is elevating its resources to stay on top of litter . Madvac has already picked up 160 bags of litter since launching last month. Look out for Madvac, sweeping up a neighbourhood near you!
Park litter and debris cleanup
The City’s cleaning blitz began in March with the collection of litter from Vaughan’s parks and open spaces – a total of 7,056 bags of litter have been collected so far this year. These efforts continue alongside weekly park garbage collection and turf-cutting, which occurs bi-weekly.
Forestry maintenance
Continued storm cleanup efforts from the May 21 windstorm are in the final stages. General tree removal and maintenance services will resume once the storm damage work has been completed. Any hazards that need to be removed, such as trees or branches, are responded to in a priority sequence. Your patience is appreciated while this work continues. Once storm cleanup is complete, regular tree maintenance will operate at full capacity.
Approximately 16,000 trees have been pruned so far in 2022. Last month, the City began tree stump removals – 200 stumps have been removed to date. Tree planting is well underway, with more than 1,500 trees planted this year.
To help control the spongy moth population, inspections of more than 8,100 City-owned trees began in April throughout heavily infested areas. Staff have effectively removed egg masses from more than 3,000 trees so far this season. In May, the City installed barrier bands on vulnerable trees in street and park locations with a high level of infestation. Also in May, the City began applying Btk sprays (a biological control product that is non-toxic to animals, humans, plants and most other insects) and Tree Azin™ (a biological control product) injections were applied on 450 select trees in parks and woodlots.
You may start to see brown egg masses on trees. These come from spongy moths – insects beginning the egg mass stage of their lifecycle. Scrape off and destroy egg masses by submerging them in a bucket of soapy water for at least two days before discarding of them in the garbage. Taking these precautions now until December will help prevent more caterpillars from hatching in the future.
For tips on how to remove egg masses, you can watch this short instructional video on the City’s YouTube channel. Ensure you always wear gloves when handling egg masses to avoid an allergic reaction.
Horticulture refresh
Shrub and plant bed maintenance (pruning, mulching, weeding, litter cleanup and watering) continue to run on a regular rotation, while seasonal renovations ramp up. To date, staff have put out 750 hanging baskets, planted 600 planters and installed 50,000 annuals in beds across all five wards.
Stormwater and wastewater services
Three rounds of litter pickup and grass cutting take place at the City’s stormwater management ponds — the first round is complete and the second round is well underway. Litter pickup is undertaken in all non-aquatic areas before grass cutting along the perimeter of the pond. About 1,500 bags of litter and debris have been collected from the City’s stormwater management ponds so far this year.
Water maintenance
In April, the City began its annual inspection of fire hydrants and continues to perform flushing of watermains and valve cycling to keep pipes clean, clear and operational. Staff have inspected 7,069 hydrants, painted 1,680 hydrants and cycled 2,199 valves. Staff also attend water shut-off and turn-on requests, which typically increase during the spring and summer months. Non-emergency water shut-off and turn-on requests must be submitted four to six weeks before the shut off or turn on is required.
Street sweeping and road maintenance
City crews perform their annual city-wide street sweeping efforts from March to November. More than 6,926 bags of litter and debris have been removed from boulevards.
City crews have repaired 3,255 potholes on Vaughan streets this year. The City also inspects more than 1,000 lane-kilometres of sidewalks annually for any defects and will schedule repairs; curb and sidewalk repairs began in May.
Additionally, annual grass cutting launched in May with a total of 13 rotations (where staff cut grass throughout the city 13 different times), each running for two weeks.
Traffic services
So far this summer, the City has replaced 53
streetlight poles and repaired and re-energized a total of 515 streetlights to
enhance safety and visibility for all road users. As well, a total of 91 new
speed boards have been installed throughout Vaughan to help inform and promote
road safety and obeying speed limits.
These maintenance efforts demonstrate how Vaughan’s Public Works professionals continue to go above and beyond to provide essential services that safeguard and enhance the quality of life in this growing city. This work reflects many priorities in the 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan, including Active, Safe and Diverse Communities; Environmental Stewardship; Citizen Experience; and Operational Performance.
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