From bwinterhalder at ucdavis.edu Thu Nov 11 08:24:37 2004 From: bwinterhalder at ucdavis.edu (Bruce Winterhalder) Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 08:24:37 -0800 Subject: [OldNorth] Trash Pick-up Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.2.20041111082055.01acb538@bronze.ucdavis.edu> Old North Neighbors: The letter copied below, written to Bob Weir (Public Works), is is the most recent action on the trash pick-up situation. This request we make is a result of discussion at our last monthly meeting. Bruce Tuesday, November 09, 2004 Bob Weir Department of Public Works City of Davis, California Dear Bob: I?d like to start out by saying thanks for the cooperative spirit you?ve demonstrated on the issues facing our neighborhood. A quick summary to begin: The 600-block parcels of Old North were designed to use alleys, rather than curb cuts and driveways, for auto access and utilities. We?ve given the DWR/Public Works approach of street-side trash & recycling pick-up a try for the last few weeks, and it has some real problems. After surveying the neighborhood it appears there is strong support for giving alley pickup a try for a similar period, after trimming of vegetation as needed, and then making a decision based on real-world experience of the two options. For your files, here?s some background on the alleys of Old North?the five alleys that run between 6th and 7th Streets, sandwiched between B&C, C&D, D&E, E&F, and F&G Streets. Part of the historic character (Lofland, Old North Davis) of the Old North neighborhood is the use of alleys for utilities and the general absence of curb cut driveways and garages on the fronts of the lots and residences. This means that we have long experience with trash pick-up on the alleys. Lack of driveways makes street-side pick-up unattractive and/or physically quite difficult in many cases. Those living mid-block, in some cases elderly individuals, have to maneuver the carts from behind their homes over the planting strip and curb drop and back. Heavy demand on street parking by UCD and downtown commuters means that cans are getting ?parked in.? These concerns and others led the ONDNA to propose continued alley pick up. After our meeting with you and DWR last summer meeting, we followed up on your request that we poll residents about their preferences, organizing a flier and survey card distributed to the approximately 100 households on alleys. We gave residents a balanced description (a copy of which you have) of the pros and cons of either option. The key concern you expressed to us was that residents who favored alley pickup understood that substantial trimming of trees and other vegetation would be required. Over 50% of the cards were returned by mail, with a super-majority (over 2/3) expressing a preference for continuing alley service. We appreciate the willingness of DWR to take the time to test the alley option on 10/28/04. We feel, however, that the results were inconclusive. The driver (a manager) was inexperienced with the mechanical arm, and the truck was equipped with the wrong arm to pick up the trash containers. After discussion at our recent monthly meeting, the Board of ON voted to request full alley pick-up in the 600 blocks, to begin as soon as the trimming can be completed. We propose a trial period of four weeks to see if it is satisfactory to residents and workable for DWR. We know that there is concern residents will by unhappy with trimming, and think that the best way to avoid problems is to have Dan Quickert (756-0575) ?a resident of Old North who is a consulting arborist?meet with the crew on a walk-through. His day job frequently involves helping tree trimming crews identify how to provide needed clearance while doing the least damage to the trees, and it makes sense to take advantage of this (free!) resource here. We have now had a couple of weeks experience with the carts and street pick-up. They have their advantages, but a walk around the neighborhood shows that people are adapting to the problem of difficult access to the rear of their homes by leaving the carts visible in their front yards or on parking strips. This is perhaps a predictable but it is not a desirable or attractive solution. We also have noticed the carts get ?parked in? which takes up considerable DWR driver time to reposition them. So we?d like to have the alleys trimmed and give alley pickup a try. At the end of that time, we?d gather feedback from the neighborhood and sit down with you and DWR, and see which way of doing things is most workable. Again, thanks for your time and consideration, Bruce Winterhalder (president, ONDNA) winterety at sbcglobal.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: