Neighbourhood Action Teams make an impact in their first year

From potholes to pruning, our Neighbourhood Action Teams were kept busy this summer. The teams recently wrapped up their first season. By tackling many smaller tasks, they made a pretty big difference.

“It was nice to be able to deliver a service and actually be able to say yes as opposed to no that’s not our department call 311,” said Keenan Boles, the Neighbourhood Action Teams supervisor.

Who are the Neighbourhood Action Teams?

The three teams launched in June and ran until the end of October. They were each made up of six employees with experience in streets maintenance, forestry, and landscaping.  

This diverse skill set meant they could quickly move through an area filling potholes, repairing sidewalks, and trimming hazardous tree branches at the same time.

This year, the teams were able to spend four weeks in each ward. Using 311 requests and insight from area councillors, Boles came up with a plan for what work the teams could do in that short window of time.   

What an impact a few weeks can make

Potholes were the biggest item on the teams’ to do list. In total they filled nearly 34,710 of them by hand.  It case you are wondering, took 868 tonnes of asphalt to do that.

They also trimmed 1,615 hazardous branches, repaired 944 signs, cleaned 506 sq. metres of graffiti, and fixed up nearly 2,700 sq. metres of boulevards. But it’s not like we were counting.

What can’t be captured in the statistics is the impact the teams left on neighbourhoods they were in.

“We’ve received all positive feedback,” said Boles.

We helped build residents’ sense of pride around where they live, where they walk, and where they commute.

He saw that firsthand while he was working in the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward. His team was approached by one of the youngest residents and their mom with something for them.

“They brought a hand drawn picture, and it said thank you for cleaning up our community,” he recalled. “It was one of the best moments I’ve had working for the city to date.”

What’s next

With winter on the way, the crews have transitioned to doing other work around the city, including shoveling snow at bus stops and helping in other areas of our snow and ice control program. They are also cleaning debris and clearing fallen limbs on an as-needed basis  But don’t worry, the teams will be back again next year.

They will start their season in early spring, as soon as the weather co-operates. The goal is to also expand the teams with additional staff so they can spend more time in each ward.

Watch

Check out this short video for a look at some of the work one of the Neighbourhood Action Teams did in the Elmwood - East Kildonan area.