The city’s downtown businesses have purchased a new sidewalk snow plow with attached salt spreader to keep walkways passable for shoppers during the winter months.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer a new service to the properties and businesses in Downtown Paterson,” Executive Director of Downtown Special Improvement District Sheri Ferreira said in a media release this week. “Moreover, our customers will be able to shop our vibrant Downtown Paterson with less obstruction after a snowstorm.”

Ferreira said the four-wheel John Deere Gator utility vehicle will be operated by city’s public works employees with salt and fuel provided by the municipality.

The machine was purchased for $30,500.

“It’s important for our residents and the region to know that the City of Paterson is open to business,” Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres said. “We have a vibrant Downtown area, with ample parking that offers shoppers a variety of products, including a state of the art Mall.”

The new service provided by the district to its member businesses will ensure uniformity in snow clean up in downtown. It is part of a plan to make the district more consumer friendly, Ferreira said,

In recent days the Paterson Parking Authority installed almost 80 parking meters on Main Street to allow consumers quick and easy access to area businesses. Meter parking in the city is free for the holidays to encourage more customers to come out to shop.

Ferreira said there is also increased police presence in the downtown with four walking police officers to ensure public safety. Not only is the authority bagged the meters offering free parking to shoppers, select parking sites are also offering $1 parking for consumers.

“Our Downtown retailers support Paterson in a big way, and we want to make sure that we make every effort to support their businesses,” Torres said.

The utility vehicle which is retrofitted with a snow plow and a salt spreader for now will be re-retrofitted with plant watering apparatuses to during the summer and spring months to nourish flowers and plants in the district.

“Gone are the days when snow and ice keep shoppers away,” Ferreira.

Correction: The original article stated that the machine will be used to keep streets passable, when in fact it will keep sidewalks passable — the machine will not be used to plow streets. [J]