The goals and objectives for this first half of the year have been achieved despite being challenged with COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. Since the onset of first emergency order, the Sanitation Division was one of the first operations to be responsive to reduce expenditures. The Sanitation Division has had a 22% reduction in personnel through elimination of temporary labor forces, retirements, not filling vacancies, and accommodations made to “high risk” staff.
The Sanitation Division took numerous steps to protect our employees as well as the public from contracting the COVID-19 virus. Sanitation immediately implemented staggering shifts to minimize close contact between large group of employees. All employees were also provided with personal protection equipment (PPE) for daily use including items such as face masks, hand sanitizer, spray bottles to sanitize all work vehicles and equipment. Minimum spacing rules for the timeclock areas with six feet spacing between employees and one-way direction lines have also been implemented.
Notwithstanding, in the past few weeks, it has been reported that approximately 28 Sanitation staff members have been granted special accommodations in accordance to CDC prevention guidelines. Sanitation is coordinating the hiring of temporary staff in order to assist in the areas that have recently reopened to the public, including the beach and entertainment district.
In the meanwhile, Sanitation crew members continue to cover their normal service routes. The beach and the entertainment district areas are currently being serviced on a daily basis with a limited crew, until temporary hires are made. While the beaches and entertainment district were closed, entertainment crews were assisting residential litter/hand crews, since the use of hand blowers had been eliminated in an effort to reduce the spread of potentially irritating airborne particulates, which created a more labor-intensive operation.
There have also been modifications made to the scope of services that the Division provides to assist with activities related to the prevention of the spread of the virus. The Sanitation Division has assisted with the trash removal and recycling associated with the various groups that are attempting to provide food to the City’s residents through food distributions. The pressure washing crews have also altered their routes to include augmenting and increasing the cleaning of bus stops and benches.
Additionally, the Sanitation Division has seen an increase in Code violations and removal of illegal dumping as well as an increase of requests from the Police Department in residential areas to remediate situations related to homeless activities.
Results from the 2019 Resident Survey show that 58% of residents rated cleanliness of streets in business/commercial areas as excellent/good. 46% rated the condition of the streets as excellent/good. And 69% of residents rated the cleanliness of streets in your neighborhoods as excellent/good. In order to continue excellent standards, the City continues to diligently monitor cleanliness citywide.