90 kph winds left the City with plenty of branches and debris

During the high winds last week, the City of Swift Current took a good battering in parks and public spaces. 

Multiple branches and trees were knocked loose, requiring the City to send out crews to clean up and keep the roads and pathways safe. 

Mike Newell, parks manager for the City of Swift Current, was glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been. 

"It was actually pretty good," remarked Newell. "I think we probably only had four or five [big ones]."

A bigger piece in this context is a branch or other woody body that can't be easily removed by hand. 

The good news is that these kinds of incidents are accounted for in the City's budget.

"If there's a major problem, we kind of reallocate funds to make sure that we can cover the cost hopefully within our existing budget," said Newell. 

Newell also thanked everyone who spotted troublesome areas that needed addressing, be that for clearing or clean up. He encouraged anyone who sees branches stuck up high in larger trees to let them know about them, so they can address them before they have the chance to dislodge and possibly hurt somebody. 

Another big concern is being preemptive. Newell and the parks team actively monitor for if the City's trees are growing too close to power lines and other infrastructure. For residential, he encourages people to keep an eye out for if their own arboreal plants could use a trim for the sake of safety. 

In the event that a tree does come into contact with a power line, it becomes an issue for the Swift Current Fire Department. 

"They would contact Light and Power and they would look at [power line] ones because their staff is certified to work on those branches when they're that close to an electrical line," said Newell. 

If anyone spots any branches or other debris, they are encouraged to notify the City so that Newell's teams can stay on top of keeping the parks as pristine as possible.