Armed with a new $200,000 street sweeper, the Municipal Maintenance Department is hitting the streets, working to clean up after a treacherous winter season.

As the snow has melted, it's revealed the pounds of sand that helped keep the streets from getting too slippery during the winter storms, along with dozens and dozens of potholes.

"We're planning to start sweeping the streets and get some of the sand picked up," said Municipal Maintenance director Mark Gifford. "We're going to put all of our efforts into street sweeping and grading of roads."

The new street sweeper, which can run on biodiesel and is equipped with a dashboard camera to help workers navigate, is the town's first new sweeper in 15 years. Town Meeting appropriated the money for the purchase.

"Everybody's thrilled here," said David Menard, Equipment Maintenance Supervisor for Municipal Maintenance, who has spent countless hours maintaining the department's sweepers, the oldest of which was manufactured in 1985.

In addition to preparing to clean up the messy roadways, workers have filled in hundreds of potholes across Wareham, from Onset Avenue to Blackmore Pond Road.

“We've been [patching potholes] right along, but there are still a number of potholes to be addressed," said Gifford, adding that potholes always reoccur, and repairs may only last days during the winter months.

This year, "there are more [potholes] because of the winter we've had," Gifford said. "All the rain and the freeze cycles.”

The season hit some areas of town harder than others, including the main drag in Onset.

"Onset Avenue is in really tough shape. It's really coming apart," said Gifford. “We have plans to reconstruct some of it to make it much more friendly to the summer community and the tourists."

Over the past year, the town has completely repaved the previously pothole-laden Narrows Road and Minot Avenue, as well as Depot Street.

Town Administrator Mark Andrews says the town will continue to aggressively repair roads in the upcoming construction season. It will be helped by an increase in state Chapter 90 funding, which is earmarked for road repairs.

If you notice an area of town with particularly bad potholes in need of repair, contact the Town Administrator's office at 508-291-3100, extension 3110 or Municipal Maintenance at 508-295-5300.