Clean City Team making a difference in Lloydminster’s downtown

Early each weekday morning, while much of Lloydminster is just getting started, a small team of City employees are already out walking the downtown area.

They’re checking sidewalks, alleys, and other public spaces, looking for litter and potential hazards that need to be removed. These people are part of the City of Lloydminster’s Clean City Team, a program launched June 8 to provide a dedicated presence focused on keeping downtown clean, welcoming, and safe.

For Jacob and Riley, two members of the Clean City Team, the work has quickly become about much more than picking up garbage.

“The most rewarding part has been the people who stop to say nice things and thank us while we are working downtown,” Jacob said.

That appreciation came almost immediately.

“Within the first two weeks of starting the job, someone gave us a shoutout for cleaning up a spot in an alley next to their business,” Jacob said. “It was encouraging to see the value of the program being noticed so quickly.”

Those moments have continued throughout the summer. Riley recalled one particularly memorable interaction with a business owner who came outside to thank the team and offer them some water while they worked.

The appreciation isn't limited to passing interactions, either. Downtown businesses are noticing the team's presence and the difference their work makes.

Downtown business Quietude Massage Therapy & Wellness recently shared its appreciation on social media:
“The Clean City Team has been in and around our business multiple times this summer and we want you to know that we are grateful and appreciate you!”

For the City, that kind of feedback is an encouraging sign that the program is making a visible difference for the businesses and people who spend their days downtown.

“It feels very good,” Riley said. “When I look for a job, I look for one that I can find meaning in. In this case, I find meaning in it by knowing downtown is safer and more inviting because of the work we do.”

The team works Monday to Friday, beginning at 7 a.m., walking the downtown area and checking known problem areas. A key part of their role is identifying and safely removing hazards from public spaces, including discarded sharps and other materials that can pose a risk to the public.

The team members are trained to safely handle these materials, allowing them to address hazards quickly and help keep public spaces safer for everyone.

And they are seeing signs that their efforts are making a difference.

“In the past few weeks, we have noticed a decrease in the number of sharps that we find,” Jacob said. “The amount of litter sitting downtown in general has also been less than when we first started, as it was sitting for some time.”

While the work can sometimes involve dealing with difficult conditions, the team’s focus remains on the positive impact their work has on the community. Walking the downtown area every day has given the team members a new appreciation for an area that offers sometimes-overlooked tidbits of history and culture.

“There are actually a lot of really nice murals and artwork downtown for people to discover,” Jacob said.
Riley agrees.

“The paintings around downtown are beautiful and add so much character to the area. I’d really encourage people in our community to come appreciate them up close.”

The City has invested approximately $26,000 in the Clean City Team to date, supporting a dedicated four-person team focused on maintaining public spaces throughout the summer, both downtown and citywide. The program provides a consistent presence downtown, allowing the team to identify issues as they arise and address them before they become bigger problems.

For Jacob and Riley, though, the measure of success is a little simpler.

It’s the business owner who comes outside to say thank you. It's the person who notices a cleaner alley. It's a safer sidewalk. It's a downtown space that feels a little more inviting.

And it's knowing that the work they do every morning matters to the people who live, work, and spend time in Lloydminster's downtown.