It’s official: Saanich’s new mini street sweeper — used to clean debris from bike lanes — will be called Curby.
“The people have spoken,” Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said with a chuckle. “I think it’s a cute name, very appropriate for the mini-sweeper. We jokingly say it’s a mini-sweeper with a big job to do.”
The municipality held a Name That Sweeper contest to mark National Public Works Week last week.
Curby emerged as the favourite among close to 260 suggestions, with more than 500 votes cast through the public-participation platform HelloSaanich.
Curby cleaned up with 28 per cent of the votes, followed by Lightning McClean (22 per cent), Sweep Pea (21 per cent), Sweepasaurus Rex (15 per cent) and Sweeping Beauty (14 per cent).
Murdock said the collection of names was trimmed down to five last week and the Public Works Department decided on the ultimate winner.
His personal favourite was Sweep Caroline — a parody of the Neil Diamond classic Sweet Caroline. “I think staff were a bit nervous that I might end up driving around in the sweeper singing the song everywhere,” he said.
The machine was decked out with big eyes and a smile on its front window before Ed Bain and Jeff King added a moustache during a recent episode of The Upside on CHEK TV, Murdock said.
He said the naming exercise was part of an awareness campaign during public-works week “around all of the great folks that keep the lights on, keep the water running, sweep the streets and make sure that Saanich residents receive services.”
The week also included tours of Saanich’s parks and public works yard on McKenzie Avenue for Grade 4 and 5 students.
National Public Works Week dates back to 1960, when it was established by the American Public Works Association.
