http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-26/story/cleaning_up_downtown_jacksonville_to_improve_its_image
Anyone who has peered under a school desk knows how wads of chewing gum can harden until they seem to have been welded.
It’s even worse when gum lands on sidewalks where it remains year after year, flattened by the weather and footfalls until the wads of gum are black blots on the concrete in downtown Jacksonville.
Armed with an array of newly available cleaning equipment, Downtown Vision aims to clean up those sidewalks, taking aim not only at the gum but also the buildup of grime that has weathered concrete to a dingy gray.
“We’ve got a big catchup to do,†said Terry Lorince, executive director of Downtown Vision.
Downtown Vision, a nonprofit funded by downtown property owners, on Thursday demonstrated the equipment the organization will deploy in the central business district. Downtown Vision Chairman Jay Southerland said it’s part of “newly energized†push for giving downtown a clean and safe appearance.
Downtown Vision operates on a $1.2 million budget that comes from assessments on property owners in a 90-block area. About $500,000 of its budget is devoted to clean and safe programs, aimed at enhancing services done by the city.
Last month, Downtown Vision contracted with Service Group Inc. to run the programs. Service Group has contracts with 20 other downtown improvement districts nationwide.
Downtown Vision’s on-street ambassadors, who are recognizable for their orange jackets and safari hats, moved from Downtown Vision’s payroll to become employees of Service Group.
Downtown Vision also purchased three pieces of cleaning equipment â€" an industrial pressure washer, a Billy Goat vacuum, and a sidewalk scrubber. The pressure washer has an attachment designed to pry gum off sidewalks by using a powerful blast of water.
Lorince said just having the equipment in use will help boost people’s image of downtown because they will see there is attention being paid to cleanliness, even though it will take a while to cover the downtown area.
“It’s like seeing someone sweep the sidewalk and clean up the leaves at their house,†she said. “It’s the overall fit and finish.â€
Long overdue and much needed.
This should make Mac Bissette of SRG happy. He's been a long time advocate of doing everything we can to keep the streets clean.
Quote from: thelakelander on February 26, 2010, 05:21:51 PM
This should make Mac Bissette of SRG happy. He's been a long time advocate of doing everything we can to keep the streets clean.
I hear he's quite passionate about this ;)
yes he is.
I like the picture in the paper where they coned off an area. One worker puts the leaves/dirt down on the side walk. Another runs the vaccum over it. Its going to take a long time to do the whole downtown that way.
The people who litter are the ones that need to be cleaned up.
A job that could and should be done by the Sanitation Department, and without the added Downtown Vision Incorporated overhead. Just another example of job justification by DVI. DVI needs to go.
Quote from: Jerry Moran on February 27, 2010, 08:36:17 PM
A job that could and should be done by the Sanitation Department, and without the added Downtown Vision Incorporated overhead. Just another example of job justification by DVI. DVI needs to go.
I disagree Jerry....this is exactly the type of services that are provided in a special taxing ditrict....it is important that downtown's streetscape/landscape be kept up, and it may not be appropriate to spread all of those costs out to all taxpayers throughout the city.
Yeah, and I pay the special property taxes that fund DVI, and I think DVI is a god damned waste of my money. For CLEAN, give part of the special tax assessment to the Sanitation Department for dedicated downtown cleaning. At least they probably know what they're doing. For SAFE, give the balance to the JSO for dedicated 24/7 foot patrols. Appoint a 3 member volunteer oversight committee from downtown property owners and merchants to make sure the job is being done. That sewing circle at DVI needs to go.
Lawyers raise no objection downtown Jacksonville cleanup
And there were dozens of them, volunteering to spruce up downtown Jacksonville.
Cold drizzle from a gray sky soaked the sidewalks around the Clara White Mission. An ugly Saturday morning kept people indoors, and the men who hang out near the corners most days were gone.
But there were lawyers.
By the dozens, lawyers sporting luminous vests marked "Volunteer" spread over blocks of downtown Jacksonville's LaVilla area bagging trash and shoveling dirt, and planting trees and vines.
That could become the model of how Jacksonville cleans up litter.
Tapping into a one-day public service drive by the Florida Bar, the city's Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission signed up attorneys and law school students to work alongside Navy and church group volunteers that are the core of a lot of cleanup drives.
"It's an easy way to get people involved," said Elizabeth Howard, an attorney with the Rogers Towers law firm downtown.
City Hall could try repeating that approach with other business and professional groups, said Renee Brust, an aide to Mayor John Peyton.
The idea is that if a regular rotation of businesses and professions could field volunteers for one day each, the city could supply enough bags, rakes, shovels and spots in need of cleaning to accomplish some noticeable good.
Getting new blood Saturday turned out to be simpler than expected.
Organizers who hoped to get 75 people had registered twice that many by late morning, said Chris Basler, a Florida Coastal School of Law student steering volunteers to different tasks.
The Bar's young lawyers section recruited people to work, and a series of student groups at Florida Coastal promoted the day.
"You've got to give back to your community," said Justin Stone, 36, a law student who was picking trash out of leaves near LaVilla School of the Arts.
"People were there for us when we were in school. We probably didn't even think about it," he said.
Students are told practicing law can help people, but there are other ways to do that, said Tom Daly, another Florida Coastal student.
"It's not just about being a lawyer," said Daly, 39. "It's about being part of a community."
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-28/story/lawyers_raise_no_objection_downtown_jacksonville_cleanup
Awesome job, Florida Coastal. Thanks for doing this.
QuoteAnyone who has peered under a school desk knows how wads of chewing gum can harden until they seem to have been welded.
It’s even worse when gum lands on sidewalks where it remains year after year, flattened by the weather and footfalls until the wads of gum are black blots on the concrete in downtown Jacksonville.
It's just a misunderstanding...
it is the
economic bubble bursting which has caused problems downtown.
Can we get a machine for that!?!
Quote from: Jerry Moran on February 28, 2010, 02:08:31 AM
Yeah, and I pay the special property taxes that fund DVI, and I think DVI is a god damned waste of my money. For CLEAN, give part of the special tax assessment to the Sanitation Department for dedicated downtown cleaning. At least they probably know what they're doing. For SAFE, give the balance to the JSO for dedicated 24/7 foot patrols. Appoint a 3 member volunteer oversight committee from downtown property owners and merchants to make sure the job is being done. That sewing circle at DVI needs to go.
Jerry...maybe you hadn't noticed that DVI contracted with a company that services downtown business districts to provide the cleaning services.
Who are you, and what is your connection with downtown? Do you live here, or have a business downtown, or are you just some blogger holed up in a cubicle somewhere? I see you post all over the map. If you want to be taken seriously here, identify yourself, and refrain from hiding behind a pseudonym. Do you have so little confidence in your opinions that you have to hide?
And, yes, I can read. And what I understand is that DVI is wasting my money by duplicating services that the City can do, and adding a thick layer of overhead expense.
Jerry...I live downtown and am a practicing urban planner...many of the regulars on here know who I am and that is good enough for me.
Based on some of the comments you've made, I'd be ashamed to reveal myself too. I for one will disregard any future postings you make.