Investing in a cleaner Valley Stream

Graffiti artists be warned — your work won’t be staying around that long.

The village recently purchased a new power washer which will be used to clean up Valley Stream. Among its main purposes will be the removal of any graffiti on public places. It will also be used to take dirt off of buildings, gum off of sidewalks, bird dropping from the paths at village parks and any other stains on village property.

Last Friday, village workers Casey Forthofer and Mike Kadel demonstrated the new machine at the John Smith Bandshell, removing dirt from the sidewalk and walls. A low concrete wall on the side went from dark brown to light gray after the pair hit it with the powerful hose.

Over the summer, the village tested several power washers. Officials chose a 20-horsepower industrial strength washer, a Landa PGHW4-4000, with a 525-gallon water tank. “We wanted to go with the biggest, most powerful one,” said Village Clerk Bob Barra. “If you’re going to get a power washer, you better get one that washes everything.”

The power washer cost $8,155. The unit is portable — it can be towed by any pickup truck — so it can be brought to wherever a cleaning is needed. It will be used by public works employees as part of Mayor Ed Fare’s “Clean Valley Stream” initiative. Cleanliness, Fare said, is a quality of life issue.

Highway Superintendent Tim Leahy said the village had smaller power washers but “nothing of this magnitude.” And Barra added that those machines would only lighten graffiti, not remove it completely. He said while vandalism isn’t a major problem in Valley Stream, the village is being proactive and trying to avoid a graffiti epidemic by purchasing this power washer.