June 25, 2006

Clean City Initiative

The following is the Op-Ed piece that was published in the Reading Eagle on Sunday June 25, 2006. I thank the Eagle for supporting the initiative to clean up the city of Reading.

Citizens of Reading have a choice: a clean city or a dirty city.

The debate over private haulers vs. citywide trash collection has taken place for years. I often hear the comment: “I like my private hauler. Why do I have to pay for those who don’t have a hauler?”

Private haulers in general have done a good job for the individuals they serve, but that is not the problem. The problem is the system. Haulers are accountable to their customers. No single hauler is accountable for the cleanliness of an area of the city. And too many property owners choose not to retain a hauler.

The current system is just not working. It is inefficient and ineffective. This is why, in the vast majority of cities across America, trash collection is organized as a municipal service.

As a community, we need to come together and look beyond our individual self-interests for the benefit of the community. For example, would anyone suggest that he wouldn’t pay to support a fire department because it was his neighbor’s house and not his own that caught on fire? Of course not.

Without everyone paying for trash removal, trash is illegally dumped. It is dumped in streets, in alleys, in abandoned properties. In a city block of row homes, even though most of the residents may have their trash picked up, it only takes one person to dump trash in a vacant property to endanger the entire block.

Unless we have accountability for the cleanliness of an area, we will not have a clean city.

Some people ask, “Why should I pay for my trash pickup when others don’t?”

The truth is that responsible property owners and residents are paying for those who are not. That is not fair, and the proposed system will change that.

The proposed system is one where every property owner pays.

A baseline amount will be charged, and that charge will show up on the water bill. Failure to pay means the possibility of not having water. Trash at the curb will be picked up. If someone wants rear-yard pickup, a premium charge can be paid to the hauler.

Under the proposed system, senior citizens will get a discount from the baseline charge since they do not generally produce as much trash as families.

Under the proposed system, trash will be placed at the curb and picked up by the private hauler that has the contract for the zone. Period.

Will the proposed system be the perfect answer to a cleaner city? No system is perfect, but the proposed system of competitively bidding each zone and holding the winning bidder accountable for the cleanliness of the zone is a good start.

Litter is part of the problem and needs to be addressed in the new system. Realistically, we can’t use enforcement to stop littering. It is difficult to catch litterbugs in the act.

But three critical initiatives are under way to fight litter: education, providing litter baskets and ongoing cleanup. We have launched an education effort and continue to add more and more litter baskets in areas that have high pedestrian traffic. People and neighborhood groups already are organizing to help with litter cleanup.

The real answer is that each one of us must make a choice: Will we have a clean city or continue to have a dirty city?

I believe that citizens have a right to a clean city.

Yes, some people may lose a relationship with their private hauler. And some may pay a bit more for trash removal. Many more are expected to pay less than they currently pay.

But a clean city is one that is attractive to investors and to new businesses. In a clean city, our property values will increase, and the quality of neighborhood life will improve. We will have fewer trash fires and better health. And a clean city is a deterrent to crime.

To me the choice is clear. You have a right to choose a clean city for yourself and for succeeding generations.

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June 10, 2006

What a day! What a community!

No one should be allowed to have had as much fun as we did on Thursday June 8, 2006. It was phenomenal – a new definition of the word “awesome”

Awesome because this was the first of three years with the city of Reading as host for the second leg of the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling - Benefiting Fox Chase Cancer Center. (Between Lancaster last Sunday and before Philadelphia this Sunday).

And it went off without a hitch. With only six weeks to plan, the city/county/public team came together and we hit a homerun the first time up to bat.

There were more smiles on more faces than I have ever seen in this city at one time.

Young and old lined the streets, waiting for the main event. And it happend, again and again. Every 15 minutes or so, as the racers sped past the people.

To enjoy this race, you did not have to squeeze into a tiny seat, buy an admission ticket, or even go far from home.

It came to our door. It came right past each and every one of us, not once but a couple of dozen times.

Neighbors sat on lawn chairs, made hotdogs and hamburgers, sounded the cow bells, and cheered and clapped as the racers sped by, followed by the support vehicles and the motorcycle policemen.

This city was lifted up by the race; we showed what we can do, and we loved it.

Public Works people were up at 3am the day of the race sweeping the streets.

George Fultz is still smiling after 16 hours! Ok... George!!!!!!!

About 6,000 no parking signs were posted (with the expectation that hundreds of cars might have to be towed, and only 20 had to be towed on the entire 7 mile course – amazing).

Police came out in full force and what a force we have!

Uniforms worn (not regularly) by the Criminal Investigators still fit (in most cases.

Thanks to Captain Kozmerl and Sgt. Stump and their traffic officer team.

Your guys did a great job as usual, and then swung into action the next day for the Jehovahs Witness group.

The Sheriffs Deputies were there, along with the Pennsylvania State Police and hundreds of volunteers. Thanks to all of you!

Commerce Bank stepped up to the plate to sponsor the event and has made a multi-year commitment to support it.

Radio station WEEU broadcast from Penn St and at other locations along the race course.

The Reading Eagle Company printed a (free) special edition for the race.

St Joseph Hospital; the city of Reading all jumped in.

The Peanut Bar was the command center; our Fire Fighters had the apparatus out, and the EMS people were out there on every lap being available in a moment in case of emergency.

The streets were clean, the flowers were blooming and even the gods smiled on us with the weather, which was a threat for several days ahead of time.

Berks Technical Institute stepped up and helped with the training.

Restaurants came out on the sidewalk and set up shop (like Ocean Blue, Sweet Angel, Soul Food from 4th St, Judy’s on Cherry, Anna’s, the hot dog vendors, the ever-smiling Snow Cone guy).

We will do this again next year...but it will never be the first time for this again. And this was special.

Carolina Tejada presented flowers to the winner!

Lisa and Ginny had a front row seat - Lisa sounded the horn for the start of the mens pro race.

Councilwoman Donna Reed pushed the starting button for the womens race.

I am sorry if you missed it because it was an historic day for Reading.

If you stayed away because of fear of the crowds and lack of parking, you need not worry.

Over a 7 mile course on both sides of the street, we could have accommodated a front row seat for a million people.

Parking was available on side streets, and if you did not want to walk a block or two, the parking garages had a reasonable fixed rate for the day.

Next year, I hope we can get the race course open early, maybe 90 minutes ahead of time, for the bikers of ALL ages, from all over Berks County to come and ride a leisurely course and just have fun.

(Berks Bicycle club person who talked to me at the race: please call Ginny Hand at 610-655-6320 and help us get this done next year)

Another suggestion by one of our bicycle officers is to have every bicycle officer in the county lead the parade. I love the idea.

Thank you, thank you, thank you – to the hundreds of people who made this possible.

Thank you for the smiles on the faces of the kids in the day care center who laughed and cheered, to the vendors to the crowd, to the racers, to the sponsors, and to the Gods who smiled on us.

Thank you for showing the world what a “first class” city can do.

The event organizers, do this all over the world, with cities that have resources far beyond ours, and with cities that have done this dozens of times.

Without exception, I heard over and over again from these seasoned veterans of bicycle racing, that they never before saw a community come together as this one did.

I say to all of you – you are indeed an awesome community, and I am deeply honored to be your mayor.

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P.S.

Brian Duncan and Leon Churchill: you were both right. I had nothing to worry about.

Together with Ginny Hand, Cindy Kauffman, Dave Klein, John Giardello, Kyle Zieber, Barb Moyer, Mike Jupina, Dan Gallagher, Jim Conrad, Lisa McDonald, Wayne Cockrell, Lori Schneider, Tom McDevitt and Crystal Seitz, Sgt. Guy Lehman, Karl Graybill and the entire DID crew; you all rallied the troops and made it happen.

Thanks also to:

* Officer Greg Harwell for the national anthem - what a voice!
* Officer Mike Fizz and Chief Broad manned the command center
* Food vendors pulled it all together quickly
* Chris Lund – Heckman’s port-a-potties – gave us clean – new port-a-potties [upgraded them as a donation!]
* Springfield Dairy for their donation of Yogurt Smoothies to the Olivet Boys & Girls Club
* The local Bike Shops and Bike Clubs for their support and excitement
* And of course – once again...Commerce Bank for the commitment and support, the State of PA and Gov. Rendell, Lincoln Mercury, Channel 6 – all major sponsors

And THE CITY RESIDENTS – who proved we are one great community – and want this event back!

Awesome again...