NAPSA's The Hopper March April 2019

The Official Newsletter of the North American Power Sweeping Association

What’s in The Hopper?

1 President’s Message 2 Fog Safety 3 Perils of the Freeze-Thaw Cycle: Pothole Repair 4 Seattle Proves Street Sweeping Effectiveness 5 Amazing 1099 Tax Deductions for Independent Contractors 6 NAPSA Congratulates 7 Reflections on NPE 2019

NAPSA Partners Gold

Schwarze Industries TYMCO, Inc. Elgin Sweeper Company Johnston North America Nite-Hawk Sweepers Victory Sweepers

Silver Visual App Bronze

Crum & Foster United Rotary Brush Corp.

Stewart-Amos Sweeper Co. 1-800-SWEEPER Old Dominion Brush

Call for Content THE HOPPER, the official newsletter for NAPSA, warmly welcomes article ideas, content, and photos submitted by members. Don’t be shy. This is your newsletter. Send content, high-resolution pictures, and ideas to the attention of the editor at info@powersweeping.org.

March-April 2019 | Vol. 3 | Issue 2

President’s Message

By Scott Duscher

Publishing the President’s Message requires some lead time. I write this just a few weeks before the National Pavement Expo 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee, which means you’re reading this after the event.

We held our annual conference in conjunction with this premiere event.

For those who do not know, your NAPSA Board of Directors met for a day and a half in Nashville before the conference started. We used this face-to-face meeting to set goals for the year and establish committees for the association’s projects. What the Board decides at this meeting guides NAPSA’s activities for the next 12 months. As an example, last year we set the goal to launch a second CSO program in 2019. Challenge accepted! Challenge met!

If you attended our membership meeting, then you already know that NAPSA launched the Certified Sweeper Operator (CSO) training for construction. If you missed the meeting, then I encourage you to go to SweeperSchool.com for more information. See previous issues of The Hopper for articles informing

NAPSA members on the progress and launch of our highly anticipated certification program.

As popular as our CSO for parking lot sweeper operators is, we’re certain the CSO construction track will be hit for sure. This year at our kick-off meeting of the board of directors, we laid plans for adding municipal and homeowners association (HOA) CSO tracks. There’s a lot of overlap among the tracks, but each has its own peculiarities specific to the responsibilities and expectations of those client types.

NAPSA is on track for ANSI training and certification. As we wrap up the final pieces, we’ll keep you informed. Look for notices posted on the association’s website and in The Hopper.

Our new board members are already hard at work to make NAPSA even better for you all. We know what it’s like out there; we fight the same fight as you.

The economy remains strong, and 2019 looks to be a busy year for the power sweeping community.

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Fog Safety

Perils of the Freeze-Thaw Cycle: Pothole Repair

By Karen M. Smith

By Karen M. Smith

The change of seasons often gives rise to fog (and Carl Barton), that wet cloudiness that muffles sound, reduces visibility to onequarter mile or less, and, in freezing conditions, coats everything with a thin, slippery layer of ice. According to Firestone Complete Auto Care, “fog-related accidents cause more than 500 fatalities each year.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cautions drivers who must navigate roadways in fog. Safety tips for driving in fog accompany every drivers education course ever taught: slow down, turn on low-beam lights, leave plenty of distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Of course, all that assumes traffic moves at a predictable pace and direction.

Add heavy equipment and, suddenly, the circumstances change and peril looms large.

What Causes Fog? We live with foggy mornings and foggy evenings. We know it’s made of water vapor. But what causes it?

Think of fog as a ground-level cloud, although the conditions that form clouds differ from conditions that form fog. It usually occurs as ground-level air cools. Humidity in the air cools and condenses. The air cannot absorb the moisture and the

2 | The Hopper

droplets remain suspended. During cold weather, a warm air mass gives rise to fog when it overrides the snow which rapidly lowers the air’s temperature. That cooling creates those weird winter fog conditions that actually helps to melt snow faster.

High Beams or Low Beams?

The short answer is to use running lights during the daytime and low beams in darkness. High beam headlight use comes into play when bright, long-distance illumination is needed. Unfortunately, high beams don’t help in foggy conditions, because the light will reflect off the suspended water droplets and cause a confusing glare that further reduces visibility. According to Kaltire, “Any time your visibility is less than 150 metres … you’ll want to use your low beam headlights.”

Fox 40 News reporter Eric Rucker demonstrated the glare effect in a video demonstration of low beam versus high beam headlights in Elk Grove, California.

Stopping Distance In foggy conditions, which usually means wet roadways, common wisdom advises allowing for additional distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Any

novice driver quickly learns that a wet or icy surface dramatically increases the distance and time needed to bring a vehicle to a full stop. Other factors also affect stopping: vehicle weight, perception distance, driver reaction time, and braking distance.

Let’s break down the physics. At 55 mph, a vehicle travels 80 feet per second. The Silver Lining illustrates the rapid sequence of events in a stop and how much distance the vehicle travels while the driver sees and reacts in addition to the time and distance needed for the vehicle to actually come to a complete standstill: 300 feet. That’s almost the entire length of a football field (360 feet, including the two 10-yard end zones).

Because weight adds momentum, larger vehicles weighing more than cars need additional distance and time to stop, even if driver acknowledgement and reaction remain the same. At 55 mph, an 18-wheeler needs about six seconds and 512 feet to come down from highway speed and stop.

What Power Sweeping Contractors Can Do While a power sweeper operator cannot dictate the behavior of other drivers, they can operate their equipment-laden vehicles with safety in mind. Exercise good sense when operating the vehicle, maintain brakes and tires in good condition, and ensure drivers are alert. A drowsy, exhausted, or otherwise impaired driver takes longer to see, recognize, and react to obstacles on the road.

In municipalities located in areas with distinct seasons, people welcome the warming trend of March. However, Mother Nature doesn’t necessarily allow for a gentle and steady warm-up from winter to spring, which grants March its reputation for unpredictable and often violent weather. Temperatures soar one day only to freeze the next.

Snow melts. Clouds dump rain.

Water seeps into cracks and crevices.

Freezing temperatures create ice-and we all know that water expands as it freezes.

The water caught in the cracks and crevices of pavement exert tremendous force as it expands and something has to give. It’s usually the pavement.

For those living in areas where winter weather means frigid temperatures, snow, and ice, March brings a host of woes upon the people charged with maintaining parking lots, city streets, country roads, and highways. Since many power sweeping contractors also provide road surface repair, the season confers a busy time upon workers.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation knows winter and how it affects roadways.

According to a 2018 report titled “Pothole Prevention and Innovative Repair,” Minnesota has no required specifications for patching materials used in pothole repair. Many materials don’t setup in freezing temperatures. The selection of materials depends upon the estimated durability of the repair. Some repairs, especially those made in frigid weather, require

application of heat to effect longterm solutions and are, therefore, more expensive than temporary repairs which are less expensive.

The report separates pothole repair methods: ● “Throw and go” patch. As one may surmise from the name, it’s a quickly applied, temporary fix. ● “Throw and roll” patch. Again, this method is temporary, but it does involve some compaction of the patching material. ● Semi-permanent patching requires some preparation of the pothole before application of the patching material. The pothole is cleaned of water and debris, the edges are cut back to existing pavement material, and the patching material is compacted with vibratory equipment. ● Edge-seal patching employs the second or third method of patching, then the edges of the patch are sealed with a sealant or tack material. ● Spray injection uses a pneumatic

sprayer to clear water and debris from the hole. Then hot asphalt or an emulsion-based material is injected into the hole. Highpressure placement compacts the material.

Research has identified some promising alternatives to the usual patching materials. The Minnesota report states, “A team led by UCLA is developing a nano-molecular resin that infiltrates already compacted aggregate-cement mixtures. The resin hardens to form a cage-like mesh throughout the mixture, which can potentially improve load bearing capacity, compressive shear-load strength, adhesion to patch walls, water resistance, and decrease appearance and propagation of alligator cracking” (p. 3).

Taconite-based materials developed by the Natural Resource Research Institute (NRRI) also show promise, with application best suited to “rigid and moderately

(continued on page 8) The Hopper | 3

Seattle Proves Street Sweeping Effectiveness

By Karen M. Smith

For municipalities, it may seem that street sweeping is just good housekeeping, although taxpayers don’t necessarily recognize the benefits beyond tidy thoroughfares and gutters. Sometimes it takes a government report with statistical data to prove to naysayers what’s obvious to others. In this case, the City of Seattle, Washington finalized a March 2018 report titled “Street Sweeping Water Quality Effectiveness Study Final Report,” giving concrete evidence that power sweeping the city’s streets contributes to the overall health of local watersheds.

The 305 pages of the report cover every aspect of the study: the street sweeping program and monitoring, study goals, drainage basins observed, parameters for analysis, sampling and monitoring

procedures, and analytical data. The upshot is shown on page 10 of the report: This study detected statisticallysignificant change (p-value <= 0.1) attributed to sweeping for the following parameters listed below.

If statistical data don’t make sense, then the report baldly states, “This study indicates that street sweeping is an effective stormwater BMP in addition to providing multiple other city-wide benefits not evaluated as part of this study” (p. 10). To explain further,

Healthy pond, healthy frog: amphibians are the first casualties of water pollution.

Parameter P value

Copper, Particulate 0.09 Sediment Concentration > 500 um 0.09 Sediment Concentration 500 to 250 um 0.10 Sediment Concentration < 3.9 um 0.002

Reduction in Concentration Attributable to Sweeping* 17% 64% 48% -133%

* Positive values suggest that concentrations were reduced because of sweeping.

4 | The Hopper

Amazing 1099 Tax Deductions for Independent Contractors

By Karen M. Smith

“This study detected statisticallysignificant change (at a p-value of 0.1) and reduction in runoff concentrations from swept versus unswept streets for particulate copper, suspended sediment greater than 500 microns, and suspended sediment in the 250 to 500 micron range” (p. 48).

The city monitored the Seattle Department of Transportation’s fleet of mechanical broom and regenerative air power sweepers deployed in the performance of their duties. The study makes no assertion as to the efficacy of one type of power sweeper compared or preferred to another.

The report carries special significance, since Seattle borders two large bodies of water, both affected by pollution from road surface runoff. If a waterlogged city like Seattle can measure and give evidence that regular power sweeping of city streets improves stormwater quality, then imagine what a city in a drier climate can do. When you are dealing with customers who may think that sweeping is purely for aesthetics, feel free to pull out this data and show them the real reason why we sweep.

As the old saying goes, only two things are certain: death and taxes.

Although necessary for the provision of the service demanded by a civil society, taxes foment resentment and a whole lot of grumbling about greedy politicians. Still, our taxes pay for everything from streetlights to street sweeping and civic duty requires we do our fair share. That said, savvy independent contractors do what they can to reduce their tax burdens. Although not intended to take the place of your tax professional’s advice, the following is a list of potential tax deductions that can ease your overall tax burden and let you keep more of your hard-earned money.

Home office. Tax law allows for multiple deductions in calculating your independent contractor tax deductions, including direct expenses such as renovations and equipment purchases and indirect expenses such as utilities, property taxes, and postage.

Educational expenses. Every self-employed contractor knows that continuing education is important. Educational expenses such as workshop or NPE tuition, membership dues paid to a professional association such as NAPSA, and even businessrelated books and subscriptions to professional publications may be eligible deductions.

Depreciation. Property and equipment don’t necessarily

include prescription glasses, nonprescription medications, and chiropractic visits. Check into deductions for your spouse, too.

Advertising costs can be deducted as a business expense. These include online and printed ads, brochures, and fees paid to writers, graphic designers, and public relations firms.

Contract labor. If you hold their value. Whether it’s a hire an independent contractor to copy machine or truck, its value perform labor for your business, depreciates and the IRS allows for then you can deduct that expense. writing off the depreciated value on If you paid that contractor more your tax return. than $600 during the calendar year, Automotive expenses. If your then you’re obligated to file a Form vehicle is your traveling office, 1099-MISC for expenses paid to then take advantage of standard the contractor. mileage rate deductions to offset Interest payments. If you took the wear and tear on your car or out a mortgage for real property truck. Automotive expenses that primarily used for your business, may be deducted also include tolls then the IRS allows you to deduct and parking fees, but not tickets the interest paid on that mortgage. incurred for vehicular accidents or You may also deduct other types traffic violations. of interest pertaining to business Travel. Business trips, industry credit cards, lines of credit, and conferences, and the lodging and automobile loans. For the auto loans, percentages come into play, meal expenses those incur are so check with your tax preparer for eligible for tax deductions. more details.

Telephony. If you use your Legal and professional services. cell phone for both business and Fees paid to attorneys, accountants, personal purposes, then the IRS allows you to write off a portion of and the like may also be deducted.

If the service encompasses both the monthly cell phone bill. your personal and business interests, Insurance. The IRS allows then only the percentage pertaining for 100 percent of your health to the business may be deducted. insurance, general liability, and Rent or lease payments. This contractors insurance to be includes rentals of any real or deducted from your taxable income.

(Continued on page 6) Healthcare deductions may also The Hopper | 5

Reflections on NPE 2019

NAPSA Congratulates…

NAPSA New Members

Contractor Members: Darrin Estrada American Sweeping & Maintenance Group, Inc. Saratoga, CA Charles Friel Charles Friel Inc Narberth, PA

By Karen M. Smith

Jim Weinberg Professional Cleaning Co., Inc. Rolling Meadows, IL

Charles Hardin - Katsam Enterprises

Tom Arena Tom R. Arena, Inc. Norristown, PA

Paul Okelberry - Jacketta Sweeping

Joe Capobianco West Haven Street Sweeping Milford, CT

Delane Qualls - Clean Sweep (TN)

Sam Hughes - Hy Tech Property Service Jarred Moore - Jacketta Sweeping Rhett Olsen - Jacketta Sweeping Theo Papadopoulos – CSS Industries Terri Thompson - Clean Sweep (TN)

Wells Leger Clean Sweep Property Services Phoenix, AZ

Jeremy Vandergriff - Clean Sweep (TN)

Darryn Riendeau Commercial Asphalt Repair Grand Rapids, MN

Tim Wells - Clean Sweep (TN)

Adam Alaniz Cutting Edge Services, LLC Boise, ID Nicole Cicillini New York Maintenance Group Ronkonkoma, NY Laura Miller On Call Pavement Sweeping Nowthen, MN

Michael Wagoner – Cantel Sweeping Cole Watts - More Clean of Texas Shane Wilbanks - Clean Sweep (TN) NAPSA New Certified Sweeper Operators Tom Ayers - Reilly Sweeping Jim Blackerby - Lexington Pavement Jonathan Burleigh - Hy-Tech Property Service Dale Carer - Asphalt Enterprises Kenneth Carpenter - Clean Sweep(TN) Dustin Clark - Clean Sweep (TN) Andres Flores - Clean Sweep (TN)

Tax Deductions (Continued from page 5) physical property, from office space to storage space to large office equipment to automotive equipment.

Repairs and maintenance. Costs associated with keeping your equipment and property in good working order may be eligible for deduction, even if your provide your own labor.

Regulatory and certification fees. Fees incurred by licensing and certification are eligible for deduction. These may include fees for incorporation. The IRS allows deduction of some taxes paid, such 6 | The Hopper

as state and local sales taxes for goods and services to be resold and payroll taxes, etc. Check with your tax accountant for more information.

The IRS understands there’s a cost to doing business and is willing to help independent contractors offset the burden of taxes through an array of deductions. While this article cannot be construed as legal advice, it can help you realize that it’s possible reduce your tax liability. As always, consult with a tax attorney or certified tax preparation professional to ensure you legally claim every penny possible.

NAPSA NEWS STAFF President Scott Duscher/Agua Trucks Executive Director Nancy Terry Editor/Staff Writer Karen M. Smith

ADVERTISING/CONTACT

Please inquire at: North American Power Sweeping Association P.O. Box 1166 Lebanon, OH 45036 (888) 757-0130 info@powersweeping.org www.powersweeping.org/contact/

CIRCULATION

As of February 1, 2017, members of the North American Power Sweeping Association may receive THE HOPPER as a part of their paid membership. THE HOPPER is an official publication of the North American Power Sweeping Association and is published bi-monthly.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to North American Power Sweeping Association, P.O. Box 1166, Lebanon, OH 45036, info@powersweeping.org. © 2018 North American Power Sweeping Association

The 2019 iteration of the National Pavement Expo (NPE) served as the backdrop for exciting and important benchmarks for NAPSA. Before the NPE program commenced, the NAPSA Board of Directors met for a day and a half.

The first day they covered all the usual executive and administrative updates and decisions that keep the organization running. That guidance is necessary for the association’s management office to conduct NAPSA’s daily business.

Reconvening for their half-day session, Board members participated in a workshop that focused on defining the association’s goals for the next to years. Past President Sylvia Richards, Asphalt Enterprises, delivered a classic presentation on filling a jar to illustrate the importance of prioritization.

“Small things will happen and must be dealt with, but we can’t neglect large and medium-sized projects,” Richards explained.

The NAPSA membership meeting, Richards said, changed from its usual schedule to occur as a breakfast meeting. She noted meeting attendance was stronger than ever, indicating the change should be made permanent. She also noted two award recipients: Gerald Kesselring, Contract Sweepers & Equipment, received the Sweeper of the Year award; and Mark Carter, Peloton Sweeping, received an industry award recognizing his important and influential contributions to the power sweeping industry and the association.

The NAPSA program included two sessions that boasted betterthan-ever attendance: the Key Managers Meeting and the Sweeper Chicks Meeting.

The Key Managers Meeting specifically addresses those individuals who are responsible for managing the operation and maintenance of power sweeping fleets and personnel, not company owners. The meeting’s primary topic of conversation was communication. After discussing various options, meeting members selected Slack as their preferred platform. Key managers of NAPSA member companies will use this platform to announce updates, ask questions, answer questions, and otherwise communicate with the group. Contact Loring Dunton, C & L Sweeper Service, for more information. Other topics of discussion included best practices for mechanics, incentives for shift workers, and energizing a company’s culture.

The Sweeper Chicks, led by Latasha Crenshaw, AC Sweepers and Maintenance, Inc., also focused on developing a more efficient communication platform for mutual support. They chose GroupMe, an app that supports group text messaging. With record turnout including managers, owners, and drivers, discussion was lively and included such topics as how to deal with dust, Mardi Gras beads, and recruiting female drivers.

They also addressed larger issues concerning safety for night drivers, policies and procedures, having backup personnel for every job,

and management within a power sweeping organization. Contact Crenshaw for more information.

NAPSA’s big-big-big news of the event was the launch of the Certified Sweeper Operator Construction program. As of the announcement made during the membership meeting, the program was ready to enroll applicants.

“No one company alone could have compiled this much information,” Richards commented on the incredible and impressive level of detail included in the program. “Hundreds of years of experience and best practices are combined in the CSO Construction program.”

Richards further praised the dedicated volunteers who developed the curriculum and rolled out the program in only a year’s time. NAPSA members receive a discounted enrollment fee.

The retail price is $400. NAPSA members can receive a discount code reducing the fee to $100 and NPE attendees can request the show special code which reduces the fee to $75 until April 15th.

Contact NAPSA for the discount codes.

Richards enthused over the many social opportunities and wonderful conversations made possible by NPE attendance, as well as the annual trade show that showcased products and equipment both tried-and-true and new-andimproved. The camaraderie among colleagues could not be beat. “We had great meetings among friends,” she stated.

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P.O. Box 1166 Lebanon, OH 45036

Pot Holes (Continued from page 3) deep” repairs. Called “Rapid Patch,” the compound can be formulated to set in as little as 15 minutes and be drivable in 30 minutes.

Formulations can be adjusted for outdoor temperatures.

Another NRRI development uses a 50 kilowatt microwave and taconite aggregate. The result is that the repair actually becomes part of the existing pavement material, producing an incredibly strong bond. This works best with hot mix asphalt pavements.

In “To Combat Potholes, Cities Turn to Technology,” writer Jenni Bergal reported that cities like Omaha, Nebraska; Hartford, Connecticut; and San Diego, California are “turning to data and technology to find and fix potholes” and even to predict where potholes 8 | The Hopper

will pop up. Reporting apps and the diligence of citizens submitting reports on when and where they find potholes help track occurrences and predict pothole trends. Cities also use technology to track pothole repairs and determine why certain street suffer higher occurrences than other and require more repeat repairs.

If anyone knows about potholes, it’s the folks at Asphalt Magazine, published by the Asphalt Institute.

Using information from “MS-16 Asphalt in Pavement Preservation and Maintenance,” the magazine provides practical advice for preventing and repairing potholes.

The consensus is that “it takes far fewer dollars to fix a good road in need of some maintenance rather than rehabilitating a bad road in need of a lot of maintenance.”

For the power sweeping industry, this pothole issue comes home when you are deciding what equipment to use.

The problem goes even further when your contract includes a clause indicating that you are to notify the property manager of said potholes. This can be a doubleedged sword which may put you into a liability situation. Always read your contracts and know what you are responsible to report, and how to report it while protecting yourself.