City Of Lafayette
XLERATOR® Powers Indiana City’s Sustainability and Cost Savings
Municipalities have guarded their resources and found creative ways to cut budgets and save on costs during the recent U.S. recession. Across the country, trimming expenses means personnel
cutbacks, departmental consolidation and other budget-conscious measures.
In one community, Lafayette, Indiana (home to about 70,000 residents), officials have put budget cutting plans into action through what the city calls its “Warehouse Project.” Part of this plan calls for Lafayette’s Facilities Department to group janitorial supply orders together in large volume to gain bulk discount rates. Previously, each department ordered supplies separately. The city also pushes sustainability initiatives to save on energy costs. “The mayor pushes us to the top of our game,” Facilities Supervisor Holly Johnson said.
Creating A More Tidy Restroom
Beyond saving worker time, Lafayette has seen a dramatic drop in the use of paper towels and the mess that sometimes accompanies their use. The city expects a tremendous cost savings as it continues to transition from paper towels to XLERATOR hand dryers.
Maintenance crews don’t have to plunge as many toilets, fill paper towel bins or empty as many trash cans when using XLERATOR instead of paper towels.
“This trickles down into a better environment for all of us and a wiser purchasing decision for a city that is conscious on how it spends its tax dollars.”
Hollie Johnson,
Lafayette Facilities Supervisor
Recent sustainability initiatives also include an expanded recycling program, the construction of Lafayette’s first building with LEED-certification standards in mind as well as an environmentally friendly street sweeper, which filters the air it expels back onto city streets. Lafayette also recently built charging stations for electrical vehicles and installed new LED lighting in one of its parking garages. These projects stand as an example of Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski’s drive to save energy, expand environmental initiatives and reduce the budget.
“As part of our plan to cut waste and maintenance costs, the Mayor encouraged us to look into a more environmentally friendly alternative to the paper towels in our municipal buildings,” added Johnson. Paper towels were clogging toilets, causing litter and overflowing trash bins, which created an unkempt appearance in restrooms as well as additional work for city maintenance crews. At some locations, vandalism was also causing safety concerns.
Improved cleanliness has been obvious – and appreciated – all over town.
The Warehouse Project team was motivated by the prospect of sustainability and cleanliness when it made the decision to install more than 30 XLERATOR high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers in its parks, police and water departments, city hall, train station and fleet services last year. There were additional benefits as well. Johnson mentioned the city is happy to be using an American-made product. Thanks to the success of the initial roll out, the team has ordered ten more XLERATOR hand dryers for other department restrooms around the city.
Johnson also said improved cleanliness has been obvious – and appreciated – all over town. Specifically, trash reduction has been heralded throughout the city, especially during the city’s “signature event”, the Colt League World Series (for 15- and 16-year-old boys), which brings thousands of participants to Lafayette and lasts for nine days each August.
