Permeable Paving

May 16, 2016cmwattsweeping 1 Comment

It is estimated that the United States has approximately 61,000 square miles of paved roads and parking lots. With such an astounding number of paved areas, it only makes sense that there is going to be a substantial impact made on the environment by these areas. It also makes sense that with such a great amount of our nation’s surface area devoted to paving, that we work diligently to find and implement more sustainable and less negatively impactful techniques and materials to use for paving. One such thing that is being used more and more is permeable paving, sometimes also called permeable pavers. Permeable paving, in short, is the use of specialized techniques or materials that allow for on-site filtration of stormwater through the surface of paved areas. Permeable paving allows for large particulate debris, sediment and heavy metals to be trapped on the surface or in the substrata layers of the paving materials, leaving a the filtered water to flow through the soil and subsequent layers below the pavement and to replenish our groundwater supply. The groundwater supply level is essential to our drinking water supply, as well as to impede further stream erosion and to also help replenish our surface water levels–the level of the streams, creeks, lakes, rivers, and oceans. The benefits of permeable paving over traditional, non-permeable paving are qualitatively greater. In urban areas the use of permeable paving has even shown an increase in tree coverage due to the fact that the substructure of permeable paving allows for tree roots to have enough room to grow to their full size.

With the benefits to the environment being so profound with the use of permeable paving, it has become more and more the go-to method for many local governments and business owners to use in new paving projects, as well as in the reconstruction and replacement of existing paved areas. While the benefits of permeable paving are exponentially better than other paving methods for a great deal of projects, the key to maintaining the benefits is to make certain that proper care and maintenance is given to your permeable paving. We at Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. have made it a priority to stay up-to-date on new and innovative paving methods and how to properly clean and maintain them. Watt Commercial makes certain that we effectively and properly clean permeable pavement so that its functionality, as well as its aesthetic appearance and overall integrity are maintained. Teamed with our experience and commitment to customer satisfaction and customer service, Watt Commercial uses our constantly growing knowledge to help business owners, municipalities, cites, towns and counties respect our environment with the best and most proper ways to care for your paved parking lots, decks, roads and paths. Please call us today for more information and for an on-site personalized inspection and consultation. With Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. you can rest assured that your paved areas are in the most experienced hands in the commercial sweeping industry–no matter what materials you have in place.

What’s In Your Budget?

November 11, 2015December 11, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

Autumn leaves are a beautiful and picturesque sight. However, they can pose a dangerous and often unforeseen risk. Not often do we look at beautiful fall foliage and think of dangerous slip and fall accidents, but as a responsible business owner, it becomes essential to consider all potential risks to our patrons and employees. Slippery fall leaves are one of those risks to you, your business, employees and patrons. Autumn leaves, especially those left for long time periods on your property, accumulating in your parking areas, become soaked in the drenching autumn rains. The rain causes the unmoved, unkempt leaves to become extremely wet, heavy and slippery. Wet, slippery leaves on the ground pose as much of a dangerous hazard as ice on the ground does. Leaves that are in your business’s parking lots and parking areas are often carried inside your business by foot traffic in and out of your business, where the fall risk is now not only outside, but inside your business as well. Business owners and property owners are responsible for keeping patrons and employees safe and protected from injury and accidents–including those which can be caused by fallen leaves in an unkept parking lot or those that have been tracked into the entry way, or other areas of your establishment. The CDC has found that one out of every five falls causes a serious injury, including broken bones or even head injuries. Businesses are already susceptible to slip and fall litigation and need to insure they take extra preventative initiatives to not end up entangled in a costly litigation situation.

Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. is an experience, professional sweeping company that can help your business develop a sweeping maintenance plan to fit your specific needs. When thinking about your budget and your bottom line, a regular sweeping maintenance plan is NOT an item you can afford to cut from the budget. Proper parking area sweeping helps to not only keep your property aesthetically pleasing, which can lead to more patrons, and therefore more business and possibly more money for your business, but a regular sweeping program helps to protect your business from costly litigation costs and possible settlement payouts and increased insurance premiums as well.

Call Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. today in order for us to come out and give you an on site assessment and estimate. You cannot afford to take any chances with your business. Let us help protect you today!

Stand Out and Shine in the Dreary Seasons

November 5, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

Autumn can be one of the most beautiful times of the year. The leaves on the trees turn beautiful, lustrous hues of bright and fiery tones and the weather begins to turn crisp and fresh. However, this turning of the season is only a temporary one, unfortunately. Shortly after the beautiful turning of the leaves and the fresh crisp of the air, the leaves fall to the ground leaving the trees grim and bare and the crip and fresh air becomes cold and bitter as fall all too quickly becomes winter. As the early beauty of autumn quickly dims to rainy days and grey, dreary and foggy days that become the bleak end of fall and depressing days of winter, it is the most important time of the year to insure that your business and parking structures and parking lots are looking their absolute best! Having a pristine, well-kept and freshly seal coated asphalt service at your business locations will make sure that your patrons notice that you care about the service you provide to them year-round. It will also help you gain new patrons by helping you stand out from the crowd in the sea of grey and dismal by literally popping out and catching the eye of new business prospects. By having your facilities updated during this time of year and by keeping up with, or implementing a regular sweeping maintenance plan now, you will make certain your business doesn’t get lost in the piles of leaves and murk of the depressing cast of grey that falls over the cities during this time of year. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. and our sister company, Atlanta Sealcoating, Inc. can help you put into action a plan right now either a professional sweeping maintenance program, or a professional sealcoating and restriping project for your parking area–or both! Both of our companies are here to serve you and your needs 365 days a year 24/7. Whether you need us for scheduled routine maintenance, on-call work, or a special project such as having your asphalt area crack filled and sealcoated to maintain its integrity and prolong its longevity and help it stand out among the crowd of dilapidated and dirty lots around it, Watt Commercial and Atlanta Sealcoating has you covered 100% of the time for all of your need all year long! Call us today to get more information for exactly what we can do to help you stand out from your competitors and set up an appointment for an on site assessment with one of our highly trained pros today!

Size Matters

October 8, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

In the days of years gone by, when someone would say that size matters in referring to the size of a city, township, or municipality and their need for a professional and routine street sweeping service, one would quickly think that regular professional street sweeping services were exclusively for large or major cities. One would easily think that only big cities would need professional street sweeping services on a regular basis, and that the bigger cities would be the only cities that would be able to afford the professional services of a street sweeping service provider, such as Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. However, in today’s professional sweeping market and with the way that all sizes of cities, towns, and municipalities face demanding and extremely restrictive tight environmental restrictions enforced by the Federal Government, the issue now is that no governance, no matter how big, nor how little, can truly afford to NOT have a regular profession sweeping action plan in place. Especially this time of year, a sweeping maintenance plan for all cities, towns and municipalities truly is essential. Leaves that fall during the Autumn months truly are a constant threat to any city or town’s storm drainage and run-off system and can easily clog sewer drains and rain and storm run-off drainage areas, which threaten local drinking water sources and therefore threaten the local environment and can easily cost the local government quite a lot of money in fines from the EPA and other Federal agencies. In a lot of ways, bigger cities may actually be able to afford these fines and penalties they may face by NOT having regularly scheduled sweeping maintenance because they work with larger budgets and larger emergency and discretionary budgets, whereas smaller townships and municipalities have much smaller and much more limited budgets. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. has worked with cities and municipalities of all sizes for many years. We can easily help put into place a professional sweeping maintenance plan that is well-suited for your city or town that will help keep your area looking its best, and most importantly, keep your town operating its best. Having a clean and environmentally friendly town is the most important and responsible act that any city can do these days and Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. can help you be responsible, save on costly environmental fines, look your very best, and stay within your budget for the year. Call us today for more information on how we can help you with all of these things and more, or for an on-site assessment today! Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. is the premiere choice in the Atlanta area for all cities and municipalities for all of their professional sweeping needs–regularly scheduled maintenance, special events clean-up and even emergency or unscheduled on-call needs. No matter how big or small your city or town may be, Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. covers it all!

Can your Business Afford to NOT have Watt Commercial Sweeping?

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

As the budgets for businesses seem to get tighter and tighter, there are areas where it seems they can “trim the fat” and save a few dollars. Often, since the expense is often seen as “cosmetic” or “aesthetically beneficial only”, businesses and property management companies are cutting routine parking lot sweeping programs from their budgets in order to save a few bucks. Literally, what can a few bucks worth of “savings” end up costing you? Well, here are some figures from some Georgia cases against businesses and property management companies from lawsuit settlements in recent years: $200,000 for a broken ankle; $840,000 for a parking lot injury; $340,000 for a twisted ankle; $200,000 for a parking lot fall in an apartment complex parking lot while visiting a friend; $90,000 for parking lot slip and fall on wet debris. In each of the cases mentioned, it was found that the injuries each person experienced were owed due to the fact that in Georgia, not only are businesses responsible for Personal Injury Liability injuries that may occur inside a facility when a patron may fall due to an unmarked hazard or from a falling product from the shelf of the merchant, but Georgia also has Premises Liability Laws, which leaves any property or business owner responsible for injuries that may occur before someone ever even enters your property or business. Keeping the premises of your property or business is crucial to protect yourself from these costly claims that could be prevented from simply insuring a clean and debris free parking area for patrons by keeping or developing a routine sweeping maintenance program with Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. today. When determining where you can “trim the fat” in your budget, parking lot sweeping may seem as an expense that can be eliminated for being simply “cosmetic”, when in fact, Georgia Premises Liability Laws are found to often be easier for the injured party to recover monetary damage settlements and verdicts for than even Personal Injury Liability cases. Don’t be fooled! Yes, Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. will leave your property or business parking areas looking clean, safe and aesthetically pleasing to your patrons, but the services we provide go far beyond simply making your property look “pretty”. Our services help to protect patrons from injuries that they may get BEFORE they ever even enter any building or business that is located on your property! If you find yourself asking where you can cut costs in your budget, trust us, sweeping services provided by Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. is NOT an expense to cut. When you’re looking at only a few dollars per day or per month over the course of a year compared to TENS or HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of dollars awarded each year in Premises Liability Cases, as a property or business owner, it simply is NOT a risk or gamble worth taking! Never cut out the professional services of Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. Our years of experience will not only keep your property looking sparkly clean, but will also reduce your liability and responsibility in cases that could arise from injuries occurring on your premises. Another benefit to using Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. for your property or parking area maintenance provider is that we have a sister company, Atlanta Sealcoating, that can easily fix any cracks, bumps, or even improperly or unpainted hazards in your asphalt on your property or at your business location. Something as simple as not having your speed bumps or handicap accessible ramp areas painted properly can leave you at risk of liability cases that could result in the same costly cases mentioned above, as parking lots conditions, as well as parking lot areas being properly marked and painted also fall under the Premises Liability Laws of Georgia. So, what are you waiting for? If you still have not set up a regular or even on-call sweeping program with Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. you should give us a call today to arrange to have an onsite, professional assessment of your property of business!

Sweeping is Essential during Construction and Development Phases–Protect your Investment from the Beginning!

March 23, 2015March 23, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

It might seem that working a regularly schedule professional sweeping program into your business isn’t needed until your business is finally opened and in operation, but that’s not the truth. During the construction and development phases of any business type, regular professional sweeping services are definitely beneficial to your timeline, bottomline and your budget. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. has the experience to ensure that your business is properly swept during your development, construction and operational phases.

Why do you need to have your construction site swept? It may seem silly to you that a site that is in the midst of construction would need to be swept regularly because it’s just going to get dirty again as construction continues, right? Well, it is because it will keep getting dirty that regular professional sweeping is actually beneficial during the construction phase of your business or development. Jobsite safety and environmental regulation compliance are directly related to your site’s cleanliness. Regular sweeping will help to reduce liability from loose rocks and debris from your site littering the streets and also help to control dust problems that can create poor road and environmental conditions. Today’s competitive business climate means tighter construction schedules and tighter budgets that cannot afford to be exceeded. Time and money spent on cleanup during your construction phase will directly affect the performance of your crews, aiding their ability to be able to do their jobs most effectively, and regular construction sweeping done by Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. can help you to stay on schedule and to also avoid any possible fines that could arise from dust polluting the air and any dust and construction debris causing dangers to drinking water sources by way of run-off.

Waiting until the last phase of your construction has several drawbacks. It will cost you more in labor hours and time to have your crew prepare an overly dusty and dirty construction site in order for it to be swept. The accumulation of weeks or months of construction debris will have to be removed slowly and over a longer amount of time in order to properly prepare your development for opening day without causing dangerous airborne pollution from stirring up the acclimated dust from your site. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. has the experience and equipment necessary to keep your construction site well-maintained from the beginning phases right up until opening day. We will help you maintain your budget and your timeline all while reducing the liability of on-site related injuries and costly environmental fines.

Don’t wait until your business is open and operational to begin a professional sweeping program. Call Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. today so that we can help your business from the construction phase all the way through opening day and beyond!

Below inches of compacted dust lies the asphalt you spent so much of your time and budget having laid.

Inches of compacted dust cover the asphalt you spent so much of your time and budget having laid.

When your construction site is not regularly swept, dangerous, harmful, dusty, dirty water run-off puts you at risk of costly fines and the drinking water of the community around your business at risk of contamination.

Keeping your construction site clean and professional swept on a regular basis leads to cleaner water run-off, less negative impact on the environment and the surrounding community and also keeps the chances of on-site injuries lower.

Don’t wait until your construction is finished to implement regular professional sweeping services. Regular sweeping done by Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. throughout your site’s construction can help you in a number of positive ways! Call us today to get started on your construction sweeping plan today!

You Can’t Just Sweep It Under the Rug!

March 19, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

Spring is a time of renewal; a time of growth. Spring cleaning gives your business the renewal and new growth that it needs. One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to give your business a “face lift” for spring is to ensure your parking lots and parking structures are cleaned by a professional, experienced and reliable sweeping company such as Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. The Spring months are also the best time to have your parking lot assessed and inspected for any needed asphalt repairs, potholes that need patched, cracks that need to be filled, and an application of fresh sealcoating to your asphalt surfaces. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. can take care of all of those needs for your business. Our sister company, Atlanta Sealcoating can easily come evaluate your property and give you the best advice on how to keep your parking areas in their best condition. Repairing your asphalt is by far less expensive than replacing your asphalt and Atlanta Sealcoating can help you extend the life of your current lots by making all necessary repairs and then finish off your lot by making it look brand new with new sealcoating. After sealcoating, Atlanta Sealcoating can also re-stripe your parking lot, ensuring that each space is clearly marked and that each space meets the legally set standards for size and type of spaces. After your parking lot has received its fresh face, Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. will gladly help you develop a professional sweeping schedule for your property that will fit both your needs and your budget, not just for the spring, but year-round. Call us today for your business to lavish in its own renewal and growth of the new Spring season!

Winter Weather Wearing Away Your Parking Surfaces?

February 24, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

Georgia is once again experiencing one of our miserable cold weather changes. Each year around this time it seems our state comes to some sort of a standstill due to inclement weather. Although we are not hit with inches and inches of snow, such as other areas, we are often the target of icy and freezing road conditions. Did you know that asphalt stays pliable for 20 years? For 20 years asphalt on our streets, highways and in your parking lots and parking structures stays pliable. What does this mean? It means that in order for you to prolong the lifespan of your asphalt surfaces, special care and maintenance must be taken. As the asphalt that is in your parking lots and parking structures naturally settle and shift, tiny cracks begin to form. What these cracks do is make your lot a target for dust, dirt, debris and worst of all water damage. Water slowly infiltrates the cracks that are made in your parking lot surfaces and as the water seeps deeper and deeper into these once tiny cracks, they widen the cracks and make the underlayment and foundation of your asphalt at risk for complete destruction. When we Georgians experience these icy conditions, it often causes great contractions and expansions in your asphalt surfaces, which then leads to cracking. As the ice melts, water infiltration can occur at a rapidly alarming rate, creating cracks. These cracks then are likely to spread and can cause potholes and an unsightly parking surface for your property.

It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that maintaining your parking surfaces is a lot more affordable than replacing it. In order to stop the progression of erosion that infiltrating water can cause to your parking lots, you need to invest in a reliable crack filling service. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. and Atlanta Sealcoating is THE place for one stop shopping for your lot maintenance, as well as your necessary patching, crack filling and seal coating. We will help you keep your lots immaculately clean with routine sweeping throughout the year and then after the winter weather has left behind its inevitable cracks and damage to your surface, we are here to help fill the cracks and then keep your surfaces looking like new with a proper sealcoating. Just like the health of your teeth relies on regular dentist visits, brushing, and flossing; so does the maintenance of your parking surfaces and parking structures. Let the experts at Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. help keep your lots as clean as they possibly can be and then allow Atlanta Sealcoating to perform an assessment of the cracks that your lot may need to have filled and then let us get your property looking like new again with a fresh sealcoating and re-striping. Don’t just let the maintenance of your parking lot go to the wayside. Maintaining and prolonging the life of your lot is crucial to keeping your customers feeling safe and happy when they visit your business and it keeps you from having to spend tens of thousands of dollars to repair a lot that could have been maintained and kept its best with a regular maintenance plan from Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc.

AAAH CHOO! You’ve Got a Dust Problem! We’re the Solution!

January 29, 2015cmwattsweeping

We all know that when there is dust in the air, we are all at risk of becoming victim to itchy, watery, red eyes, sneezing and other allergy related problems. Did you know that proper business practices can help control the dust and help to improve the quality of the air for all of us? The best way for businesses to control the amount of dust that is on their property is to properly maintain their parking lots and other parking areas. Just think about it–cars stir up all kinds of dust and debris. They pick up garbage off of the streets and redeposit those wastes and dust particles from their tires and undercarriages at every place they visit. The parking lots of a business are like giant dust dumps where vehicles come and rest and all of the dust and dirt and other debris they’ve picked up along their journeys settle in the parking lot. So, what is a business to do to make sure that their parking areas aren’t giant allergy triggering dust bowls? Businesses need the professional services of a properly trained and experienced parking lost sweeping company like Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. Watt knows exactly what to do to help fight the dangers of dust right where they lie–in the parking lots and parking areas of all businesses. Our dedication to proper lot maintenance is backed by our more than 20 years experience in perfecting the exact techniques needed to rid parking lots, parking decks and parking garages of the dangerous dust.

So what? It’s just dust, right? What’s the big deal? Well, since you asked I’ll tell you exactly what the big deal with dust is! Did you know that the EPA, you know the Environmental Protection Agency, actually reports that dust is the MAIN cause of ALL air pollution. All air pollution is mainly caused by dust–that’s a big deal! Dust, as reported by the EPA is carried by the wind and in their report, the EPA also specifically mentions the fact that major amounts of dust come from the activity in parking lots. That’s right, the EPA specifically targets parking lot activity as a major hub and cause for dust! Again, it’s just dust, right? I mean we all hate dusting at home and put it off until the last minute because really it doesn’t seem like a major chore. It’s not like if we don’t take the garbage out of our house. That would be obvious–eeeew, the smell! But dust, I mean if you can’t really see it, it can be put off for another day, right? WRONG! The amounts of dust that parking lots cause have a bigger impact than you may realize. It’s not just like a collection of dust bunnies on a book shelf. Parking lot dust causes same major problems. I’m talking major health problems! Aside from the drippy noses, watery, dry, itchy, red eyes, dust causes serious issues with our respiratory systems. I’m talking coughing, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, irritation in our respiratory tracts that can lead to serious issues like bronchitis. Dust can even severely irritate our throats and worst of all, if you happen to be one of the millions of people who suffer from asthma or emphysema, just know that dust puts you at a substantially higher risk of increased instability and severity in your conditions.

Dust is a small thing, but it has some BIG effects for all of us. It is important that businesses make sure to take the time to hire a professional parking lot team to ensure their lots are less of a threat on the environment and on the health of everyone. Hiring any sweeping service isn’t the right way to do things either. Ineffective and improper parking lot services actually don’t help with the dust problem and can cause the dust to be stirred up and distributed throughout the parking lot and throughout the air even more than it was before. It is imperative that when hiring a parking lot sweeping service, you take the time to hire a reputable and responsible company that has the know-how and proper equipment to get the job done right. Don’t pay someone for service that is only going to contribute more to the overall problem of our air quality. Hire someone who knows how to do the job the right way with the right equipment and the experience needed to help protect the environment and the health of the public–plus it helps that they can make your business look its absolute best and be its absolute cleanest at the same time. Your choices as a business matter for all of our health and your choice in who you trust to clean your lots matters. Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. cares and we have the experience to meet your needs, keep the environment healthier and show your customers just how much you really do care about their experience with your business, even beginning in the parking lot.

The Watt Difference

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015cmwattsweeping Leave a comment

While it may seem obvious that your parking areas require the attention of a professional sweeping team, and it may also seem obvious that an in-house team is an over the top expense for pretty much any business, it is imperative that you realize that all sweeping professionals are not the same and some sweeping companies aren’t quite “professional” when it comes to taking care of your sweeping needs. Watt, however is the company that sets itself apart from the pack. We are the premier choice for Atlanta when it comes to contracting an experienced and professional sweeping team for your business. Don’t be fooled by the other guys! Let us tell you why we are the best!

With more than 20 years in the professional sweeping business, Watt knows what it takes to help your business in the best ways possible. We understand and respect the value of your parking areas and we know the key role their maintenance is to keeping your business thriving and we will only maintain your property to the highest standards possible. We are experienced and skilled operators of specialized, state of the art equipment that we use to maintain your parking areas. Each client has special needs and each property is different–Watt knows that and we special tailor our services to your needs and around your schedule–not the other way around, trying to make you fit our limitations and our hours. Our service is all about the client and their needs. From the very beginning Watt and our trained and knowledgable staff will be here to serve you and answer any questions you may have about the services you will receive before your initial sweep. Watt is a locally owned and operated business. We know the ins and outs of Georgia, its weather and the effects the environment has on different types of lots throughout the year. We will assess your particular establishment and make sure that as the seasons and your property’s service needs change that we keep you up to date on these changes and make the necessary adjustment to your service with you, the client. Watt knows that not all businesses will need the same cookie cutter sweeping services and we make sure that your particular business is maintained with the proper service and equipment for those needs. Watt will make sure that your expectations are consistently met. Each of our team members know step-by-step what is to be done and what is expected at each and every location on our routes. There will never be inconsistencies in service because each member of our team knows every property specifically, whether it is their regular assignment or not. We know that life happens and that at anytime we may need to have one of our trained sweepers fill in for another one of our team members and we make sure that each employee knows each property to ensure quality and consistency expectations are always met. With knowing that life can sometimes throw in an unexpected curve ball, Watt also always makes sure that every vehicle in our fleet receives daily maintenance to ensure not only to have all equipment ready and in its best shape, but also to have a backup in place, just in case. With our fleet always at the ready, Watt can also be ready for your unexpected needs. Day or night; routine and even emergency and on-call services. Watt can do it all and all when you need it! Watt’s fleet is all enhanced with GPS monitoring, assuring performance and efficiency at each and every location. Watt is the only choice you should make when it comes to your parking areas sweeping needs because your business cannot afford to settle for less than the best and Watt Commercial Sweeping, Inc. is absolutely the best!