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the wheels that keep the city running. Centralized purchasing of supplies can save money. Uur <br />in-house team of certified mechanics keeps our fleet afvehicles on the street in the most <br />e;. <br />demanding weather. Last year we <br />achieved 97.7% availability. In <br />addition, our skilled crews are able to <br />modify equipment so that we can get a <br />faster changeover from Leaf Pick-up to <br />Snow removal or achieve better <br />efficiency with our Leaf Vacs during <br />inclement weather. What a great job <br />our leaf crews did this year under very <br />trying conditions! The leaves refused to fall, but the snow did fall. Still these dedicated workers <br />stuck with it to get the jab done. And it only cost our customers $1 per month! We collected <br />almost 70,000 cubic yards of leaves and transported them to our (?rganic Resources facility <br />where they will be composted and made available to the public for backyard landscaping and <br />gardening projects. <br />Another great buy is the work done by our Engineering Division. By hiring and training <br />skilled personnel we are able to produce some project plans in-house and da most of the <br />construction inspections. This saved $1.25 million that we would have paid to contract for these <br />services. Staff also manages the curb/sidewalk programs, historic streetlights and the lamp past <br />program In 2005 we invested $500,000 at 160 locations for the shared cost curb/sidewalk effort. <br />Another $1.3 million was spent on curbs and walks in the Commercial Corridors, along model <br />blocks and in Neighborhood Partnership Center areas. Two hundred forty-two customers took <br />advantage of the 50-50 cost sharing to install lamp posts in their front yard. This is a creative <br />way to light up our neighborhoods. <br />Many of out public works employees are involved in direct service to the community, but <br />often they don't get noticed unless something goes wrong. My hat's off to the men and women <br />who provide us with safe drinking water, clean the waste when we're done, pick up the trash and <br />yard waste, pave and plow the streets, maintain the traffic signals -and all the other invisible <br />work that keeps our city functioning well. Last year we completed delivery of the new solid <br />waste containers that have been so well received around the city. All residences now have either <br />A-18 <br />