Keeping the streets clean

AMHERST - Peter Estabrooks really gets swept up in his job.
For about seven years, the Town of Amherst employee has kept the streets throughout the community free of debris during the warmer months operating the town's street sweeper.
"I love it," said Estabrooks just after 9 a.m., Thursday. "It's the principle of operating it. It makes a person feel good seeing the streets clean.
"Being the job that it is, I thought it would be pretty cool."
When the snow and frost are gone for the year, Estabrooks climbs into the ride side of the vehicle and begins cleaning the streets, starting Monday morning at 6 a.m.
He drives the Elgin Whirlwind Street Sweeper eight hours a day, Monday to Friday.
"It's an interesting job, too. You have to watch the brush and the traffic - some people will cut in front of you. A lot of them are in a hurry to go no place."
While using the gutter, street brush or both, Estabrooks drives no faster than five miles per hour.
"Some people have enough courtesy to move out of my way, but some of them don't," he said.
Driving as slow as he does, one wouldn't think Estabrooks would have to slam on his brakes for anyone or anything, but he has had to at least once.
He recalls a time when he was approaching a vehicle stopped at a stop sign.
"There was another vehicle that passed alongside me and cut right in front of me," he said, adding there was only about a car length between the street sweeper and the vehicle at the stop sign.
Equipped with two brushes, the street sweeper will vacuum up any debris small enough to pass through the hose, including asphalt, drink cups and spray bottles for plants.
"It will suck up concrete blocks ... like a chimney block," said Estabrooks. "If it's small enough to go up the hose, 90 per cent of the time, she'll take it."
Watch what you pick up
Estabrooks says he watches what he picks up, which often includes garbage picked apart by crows.
Sometimes, however, things will get stuck and the hose clogged. If a piece of debris gets caught, it usually drags along the street until Estabrooks backs up and goes over the debris again.
Running with two motors (one for the truck, the other for the sweepers), Estabrooks keeps an eye on a number of gauges, especially the water levels.
"This holds about 300 gallons of water that it sprays onto the street in front of the brushes," Estabrooks said.
"The water is like a lubricant. You shouldn't operate the machine when there's no water - it makes it like a sandblaster and the debris can damage parts of the brush."
He goes through a tank of water every one-and-a-half to two hours.
Cleaning each street in town at least once a month, Estabrooks will cover the downtown streets roughly three times a week.
The Whirlwind has a two-yard hopper collecting debris.
"In the spring, when I first bring it out, I'll empty the debris every hour to hour-and-a-half, depending on the winter dirt and stuff on the road. Now, I empty it about three times a day," Estabrooks said.
The street sweeper operator said he's gotten some strange looks from people when coming around a turn because they would expect to see someone in the driver's side. Street sweepers are equipped with steering wheels and gas and brake pedals on both sides, so the driver can keep a close eye on operations.
"I used to drive with my head out of the window until my neck started bothering me. Then I taught myself to overcome that and to use the mirrors," he said, glancing at the brush off to the side behind him.
Although Estabrooks admits he's not a morning person, he still likes waking up to head off to work for 6 a.m.
"Especially on beautiful mornings ... it's altogether a different part of the day."

rtetanish@amherstdaily.com