By Roy Weavers

The streets of Mossman, Port Douglas and Daintree will be kept tidy in future with a new machine to be launched for use this week.

After a review of street sweeping service earlier this year highlighted the need for a machine for the Douglas area, Cairn Regional Council purchased a new street sweeper to replace the current hire machine.

Mayor Val Schier said using a Council owned street sweeper will save just under $8,000 per month and was purchased through a local buy contract.

“Clean tidy streets are a necessity in tourist meccas such as Port Douglas and Daintree. Current service demands were better served by a Council machine designated solely to this area,” Cr Schier said.

Division 10 Councillor Julia Leu said the new sweeper was fully operational. “Macrossan Street and Front Street will be swept daily as they are the main thoroughfares and the streets visitors first set eyes upon,” Cr Leu said.  “A full rotation of the machine’s service will take eight weeks, so local streets will be serviced regularly.”

The single cab truck fitted with a Rosmech Merlin Scarab Road Sweeper body was purchased for $321,255.

Editors Comments: Keeping our streets clean has been a number one priority for some time, let's hope this new piece of machinery is as effective as 'Old Charlie' was on his little vacuum cleaning runabout in the pre-amalgamation days, 'cos the current cleaning truck just doesn't get in the nooks and crannies as we were used to.