Opis
The sidewalks on Park St are so filthy I am on the point of buying a pressure washer, talking to the clean water worker in PW, and cleaning them myself. Please see issue no. 3652781, in response to which PW Admin Gail helpfully explained that Public Works does not clean sidewalks, these two business district get tax assessments for that and are supposed to do it, or if not, it is up to the resident. The city should withhold some funds from each of these business districts, and have the sidewalks cleaned, because the business districts appear to be spending their money on salaries and such, and not performing this basic task. Or the assessment should be lowered so the businesses can clean their own sidewalks.
also asked...
Q. Please check the department your request is applicable to.
A. Finance
A. Finance
Q. Please describe the details of your public records request here.
A. 1. Did Downtown Business Association actually spend the assessment funds they are given to hire a sidewalk cleaning contractor for Park St. to Lincoln Ave, both sides of the street, in any year from 2009 to present? Name of contractor and how much contractor was paid each year? 2. Same question for Webster Street Business District.
A. 1. Did Downtown Business Association actually spend the assessment funds they are given to hire a sidewalk cleaning contractor for Park St. to Lincoln Ave, both sides of the street, in any year from 2009 to present? Name of contractor and how much contractor was paid each year? 2. Same question for Webster Street Business District.
16 Skomentujs
City of Alameda (Verified Official)
City Clerk's Office 1 (Verified Official)
Ron Mooney (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
Actual Gail's statement is not fully accurate. The City PW does indeed hire and manages the contractors that do the cleaning. There is only so much in the budget, and monthly power washing is not covered. The contracts and expenditures are on the city website somewhere, so they should be able to easily get you the information.
The fees for this work flow through the City and not the business associations, so no money goes to the operations or salaries of the Downtown Association, nor to my knowledge WABA.
The Downtown Association is working on funds to supplement existing funds, as well has requested changes in the contract to hopefully address cleaning issues we have identified, but so far the PTB have not responded.
K T ... if you'd like to contact me please to get or give me any specifics.
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
Ron Mooney (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
This is why we are working on a plan, and need all the support we can gather.
BTW, thanks for the post about news racks another issue going on three years!
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
Mr. Mooney, thank you for the info correcting Gail from PW.
To the city employee who answers this complaint: I don't see a way to amend my complaint, so could you change it to ask for the same records, but from Public Works and whoever supervises the sidewalk cleaners' contracts:
Has PW spent any funds they are given to hire a sidewalk cleaning contractor for Park St. to Lincoln Ave, both sides of the street, in any year from 2009 to present? Name of contractor and how much contractor was paid each year? 2. Same question for Webster Street Business District.
abc (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
Something is wrong with the people who run this city. They close complaints in SeeClickFix without following thru to make sure things are actually completed. I suggest you contact Michael Finney Channel 7 to find out why this city is so poorly run!!!
I reported a sidewalk hole on 4/28/17 at 1114 Walnut St. They eventually came out and marked the sidewalk with white paint. It's still not fixed to this day!!! They don't even have the curbs painted red near fire hydrants!
I'm sure the city gets the revenue from South Shore Mall. Where it goes is anyones guess?
Good Luck,
Roxanne
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
City Clerk's Office 1 (Verified Official)
Potwierdzone PW ESD Manager (Verified Official)
Good afternoon K T:
Public Works oversees work within the City’s Landscape and Lighting District which includes the maintenance contracts for Park Street (Zone 4) and Webster Street (Zone 8).
The maintenance contracts for both zones are with Clark Services and provide 7 day a week ongoing maintenance services including graffiti removal, littler pick up and some pressure washing. At present, the Park Street zone does not have assessment funds to cover more than occasional spot cleaning (deep cleaning or deep cleaning with gum removal is not part of the spot cleaning). The cleaning moves through the district north to south along the frontage of Park Street focusing on amenity plazas, bus stops and public litter containers.
To raise assessments, the zone must complete the legally required balloting process. Park Street did go through the balloting in 2015 but that effort failed and assessments remained the same (as they have since the last time they were increased in the mid-1990s). The entire daily scope of work for the entire district must be performed with the existing assessments. As Mr. Mooney notes, the DABA Board is working to raise additional funds to supplement the existing assessment. The Webster Street zone conducted a successful balloting in 2014 and now have additional assessment money for sidewalk washing, including an annual deep cleaning.
These contracts are approved by the City Council and the work is included in the Council approved annual Engineer’s Report. The current Park Street annual contract is $40,400 and Webster Street annual contract is $40,500. I can email the full contract to you if you would share with me your email address (my contact information follows below).
My apologies for the incorrect information provided initially and any confusion. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Thanks,
Liz Acord
Acting Public Works Coordinator
510-747-7900
lacord@alamedaca.gov
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
Thank you for the information. I would rather you post the documents, or a link to the documents, rather than email them to me. I have only been following the 94501 SeeClickFix postings for 10 days, but I can see that residents are mad about the gummy gooey sidewalks, and the busted-up newspaper racks, so it would be better to satisfy all the residents by posting the info online.
(Residents are not mad about tree trimming, sidewalk repair, sign fixing, street light repair, etc., as putting any one of those things on SeeClickFix seems to result in a reasonable response by PW or AMP giving a time period for fixing, and then the item actually gets fixed within that time period. So there is no need for me to request any records on those issue, or to have the records posted. I am only interested in the records for things that are not getting fixed, repaired, cleaned up, etc.)
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
To public works Ms. Accord and residents interested in cleaner sidewalks: I think Ms. Accord has answered my questions with her posts here. As I understand it,
1. Webster St will be cleaner because the businesses have voted to tax themselves more so they could have an annual deep clean of the sidewalks, and more cleaning otherwise. The contractor is Clark Services. The contract specifies Clark Services will provide "7 day a week ongoing maintenance services including graffiti removal, litter pick up and some pressure washing", and the annual deep clean pressure washing of the sidewalks on Webster Street. Public Works supervises the contractor, but does not actually provide the pressure washing.
That means if one doesn't find Webster Street's sidewalks clean enough, one can complain via SeeClickFix, or to Public Works, or to Clark Services, or to the Webster St business organization, or directly to any business on Webster Street (as they are being assessed to pay for the cleaning.)
If Ms. Accord posts the Clark Services contract here, that will facilitate citizen oversight.
2. Park St. does not have set up an annual deep cleaning, because their assessment does not leave enough funds for that. If Ms. Accord posts the Park St. Clark Services contract here, citizens can decide if Clark Services is providing everything they have contracted to provide. Public Works oversees that contract, and complaints can be made via SeeClickFix, or directly to Pubic Works, or directly to Clark Services, or to any business on Park St.
Gum will remain unless the Park St businesses assess themselves more taxes, as Webster St has done, or unless funds are found elsewhere. The Park St "Downtown" business association has a person who is energetically drumming up those funds: Janet at 510-523-1392. After talking with her on the phone, I feel confident Park St. will have more funds for sidewalk cleaning shortly. Any resident who is particularly interested in the cleanliness of Park St sidewalks can call her for info on the history of Park St. sidewalk goo, and how she plans to rid Park St. of that goo. Did you know it was illegal to pressure wash sidewalks during the drought?
is now receiving an annual deep clean and has voted for more funds to be assessed for sidewalk cleaning
K T (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
this concludes my involvement with Park St sidewalk goo.
abc (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
abc (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
PW ESD Manager (Verified Official)
Please let me know if I can help further, thank you.