FAIRBANKS -- It's bright orange, can turn on a dime, and it whizzes up and down the sidewalks of Fairbanks at a brisk pace. Steve Carter, the self-titled "snow ninja" who drives the city's latest addition to its snow removal fleet, said that passersby often point and stare at the big man in the little machine as he goes about his job. It doesn't bother him, though, because there's no question that this strange-looking vehicle clears sidewalks better than anything the city has used in the past, he said.

The Department of Public Works previously used small skid-steer loaders -- commonly referred to by the brand name Bobcat -- to clear snow from sidewalks. The new Holder C242 Multipark vehicle, purchased by the city this past summer, is more versatile, according to Eric Grant, street supervisor for the city of Fairbanks Department of Public Works.

"It's an articulated machine, which means it pivots in the middle instead of having front steer tires. For plowing it's better for going around sidewalks and around the corners. It's about the size of a Bobcat in length, but it's a lot narrower -- it's made for doing sidewalks," Grant said.

The Holder, as city workers are calling it, is 42 inches wide and can be fitted with three different attachments -- a blade, a snow blower or a broom -- to suit a given situation.

"This is our first year with it so we're still figuring things out. We've tried a couple of different combinations. Right now we have a steel blade with a polymer blade together. We found that with just the steel blade, when you have any joints in the curb it just tends to bounce over. The polymer blade worked really well -- it's a little more forgiving and tends to bounce better, but it wears down fast so we put the steel blade behind it," Grant said.

A utility box mounted on the back holds shovels, clippers and other tools. In the summer, a water tank can be mounted in its place and dusty sidewalks can be sprayed. The broom attachment sweeps gravel and other debris left over from the winter.

The city purchased the vehicle for $95,000, according to Rich Dunham, vice president and branch manager of Craig Taylor Equipment.