WSA Member Update 10.15.25

October 15, 2025 Dear WSA Member, Examples Needed to Help Develop a Contract Analysis Tool As I said last month, WSA is working with Phil Duncan, principal with our recommended full lines insurance provider, BINDDESK,to develop a way for you to have any contracts you receive reviewed for ‘onerous clauses.’ Our idea is to have as many as possible of those referenced for your consideration.  What we now need are as many member contracts as we can receive from you. These may be older or newer ones; all are welcome. Please see what you have in your archives and send, ideally, a PDF file of the proposed contract. These might be from central clients to third party vendors to street sweeping contracts from cities, HOAs, etc. Prior to being submitted to the AI system being developed, all of your identifying information will be removed.  Please send the contracts as an email attachment directly to Phil at this address: phil@binddesk.com. If you missed the info on this last month here’s an info link to the ‘Contract Analysis Tool’ we are in process of developing.  If you’re looking for information about most any topic in power sweeping, I encourage you to use the search bar on the upper right side of the WSA website. Spanning the 29 topic areas shown on the right side of the home page, the WSA site offers a whopping total of 766 posts and 175 pages of information designed just for YOU!  That said, I was asked a question recently about whether asphalt roadways were kept in better shape from routine street sweeping. Not knowing the complete answer, I did some research and wrote a new article on the topic to post at WorldSweeper. Here’s the link. Roger Sutherland and I received excellent reviews from attendees to info on the recent ‘Sweepers vs. Microplastics’ study we conducted in Los Angeles last summer. If you’re interested, I suggest you use this enduring link to the Zoom webinar on WorldSweeper’s YouTube channel (version slightly longer and offers additional coverage of ways to enhance street sweeping programs). You may also view the presentation as a PDF at this link. Roger was also the Keynote Speaker for the University of Minnesota’s ‘Stormwater Updates’ series held in early October. His presentation, “Enhanced Street Sweeping: America’s First Line of Defense in the Abatement of Urban Stormwater Pollution” allowed the street sweeping and stormwater pros in Minnesota learn more about the game-changing studies, Sutherland’s personal learning and teaching journey, and what defines an “enhanced” street sweeping program and the benefits it can provide. Unfortunately, that has not yet been uploaded by the Minnesota agency. As a final thought to ponder on this topic: Consider that this year the KEYNOTE speaker chosen for Minnesota’s annual Stormwater Seminar Series was picked in order to provide attendees about the extraordinary value we now know street sweeping provides to stormwater professionals! As we enter the colder months I thought it would be a fine time to educate and/or remind you of BMPs for handling DEF fluid in winter. Most of you utilize diesel sweepers and other vehicles that use DEF, so I suggest you check out this article from Equipment World entitled “How to Handle Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) in Winter: Storage, Shelf Life & Quality Tips.” No matter the vehicle, they may become harder to start in cold weather, typically due to a failing battery and/or starter. Since batteries are easier to troubleshoot, I chose to include this article that details how you can catch a failing starter early on. (The article also offers this link to an article offering tips for inspections and regular maintenance on alternators.) This month our Safety First! post focuses on items to consider with the change in the season. October’s Safety First! message discusses the following: • Deer season also means glare season • Halloween safety • Ergonomics of lifting and movement • Cold Weather Reminders & Tips • Remember to Drive Defensively!  • It’s Flu Season: Tips to keep from getting it • More tips as the season changes As always, if there are any specific topics you’d like covered, or if you have questions or comments about this WSA Member Update or anything else to do with the World Sweeping Association or power sweeping in general, please let me know. A reminder that this is my last year of serving as Director of WSA. Please offer up to me via email any ideas you or others may have regarding what should happen with WSA as we head toward next year. Good Sweeping, Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Executive Director World Sweeping Association