SALEM — It looks like some kind of lunar explorer, or maybe a cross between a golf cart and an elephant.
The city's newest — and perhaps oddest — vehicle has been attracting curious glances from downtown crowds since it hit the streets earlier this month.
What exactly is it?
Meet the Madvac.
It's a vacuum cleaner. An all-wheel drive, full-suspension vacuum cleaner — with a 25-horsepower engine and an all-welded steel body.
It can reach a top speed of 16 mph.
"It definitely stands out," said Mayor Kim Driscoll, who first encountered the earlier versions of the Madvac when she worked in Chelsea. "I think most people's reaction is, 'What is that?'"
The city's Department of Public Works has been using it to pick up litter, particularly on the Essex Street pedestrian mall, where the brick and cobblestone pavement can make sweeping a challenge.
It's a fairly simple concept. The operator sits in the center of a motorized cart, controlling an 8-inch-wide vacuum tube that sucks up litter — anything from cigarette butts to broken glass to empty 2-liter soda bottles.
The debris funnels into a trash bag inside the machine that can be changed and replaced, just like a regular vacuum.
It runs on four wheels and can reach into confined areas. Its manufacturer, Madvac Inc., touts it as "the ultimate solution to a cleaner environment."
Driscoll hopes it will serve as the final fix for the pedestrian mall, an area not exactly known as the city's most pristine.
"We're obviously excited about having a new tool in the arsenal to deal with litter and debris," Driscoll said. "It has the ability to go to the outskirts of the downtown, as well."
The Madvac deployment appears to represent a new front against litter in the downtown. The city has also assigned a DPW worker solely to downtown cleanup duties in response to an increase in visitors and night life.
The Madvac will also start patrolling Lafayette Street and the lower end of Bridge Street, the mayor said.
Boston and Chelsea own Madvacs. So, too, do cities in Florida, England and Brazil.
The machine is faster and less labor-intensive, making it a more attractive alternative than the old-fashioned method — picking up trash by hand.
It does, however, come with a price tag — approximately $30,000. The city used higher-than-expected revenue from the sale of recyclables to fund the purchase.
"When you see people's reactions, they couldn't be more impressed," Driscoll said. "It's definitely got some incredible vacuum skills."
Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salemnews.com.
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