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Wednesday, September 28, 2011                                 

PUBLIC WORKS HIGHLIGHT RESULTS OF EARLY MORNING OUTREACH ALONG COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS

Graffiti identified as top offender along the inspected streets

San Francisco, CA – Acting City Administrator Amy Brown and Acting Director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Mohammed Nuru participated in DPW’s Spruce up by Sun Up pre-dawn outreach walk and inspection campaign by walking Mission Street from Cesar Chavez to 22nd Street at 5 am this morning. DPW is in its seventh week of the campaign with results showing graffiti as the largest offender.

“Spruce Up by Sun Up” is a 20-week campaign carried out in partnership with various city agencies and focuses on issues such as clean sidewalks, tree maintenance, graffiti, and required garbage collection service. The top deficiencies that were identified during this morning’s inspection walk included four establishments without garbage service, 77 instances of graffiti (public/private property), 37 tree related items, eight potholes/sinkholes, and 48 establishments with dirty/grimy sidewalks.

“The goal of the campaign is to maintain and enhance the cleanliness of the streets and ensure they remain inviting for residents, customers and other visitors,” said Amy Brown, Acting City Administrator. “The results from these walks are important for helping us understand where the needs are so that we can better optimize our scarce resources and continue to maintain San Francisco as a world class city.”

“Spruce Up by Sun Up” Round Two aims to canvas and inspect 69 of San Francisco’s busiest corridors. The campaign is a follow-up to earlier outreach and inspections to ensure city ordinances are being observed. Since August, 103 blocks have been canvassed and inspected. Of these blocks, inspectors have identified the following:

-       769 instances of private/public graffiti

-       30  tree basins that need to be filled

-       141  properties without garbage service

-       216  trees with height clearance issues

-       287  grimy or littered sidewalks or sidewalks with excessive cigarette butts

-       35  uplifted or broken sidewalks

-       18  dead, missing or declining trees that need replacement

-       45  bus zones to be repainted

-       24  missing sewer vent covers

-       62  news racks with graffiti

-       8   bent or missing parking signs

-       8   fire department call boxes with missing doors

-       61 crosswalks to be repainted

-       72 potholes or sinkholes to be filled

-       35 broken curbs

“This campaign ensures the City and property owners work together to establish cleaning and greening standards that guides the quality of life San Francisco. It also allows DPW and other agencies the opportunity to remediate concerns in a timely manner.” said Larry Stringer, Interim Deputy Director of Operations for the Department of Public Works.

As part of the campaign, DPW contacted every property owner prior to commencing the inspections with a schedule as well as clear and detailed information regarding maintenance standards and responsibilities.DPW staff, other city agencies, and representatives from Recology Golden Gate and Sunset Scavenger inspect the corridors every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5am to 7am. The campaign began on August 16 and will complete in February 2012.  A schedule and list of corridors can be found by visiting www.sfdpw.org

The campaign is part of DPW’s Community Corridors Partnership Program, which provides extensive education and outreach by visiting streets at all times of the day and night to educate merchants and property owners about their responsibilities to keep San Francisco clean and green. In addition to education and outreach, the program improves the quality of life on busy San Francisco merchant corridors by cleaning sidewalks, removing graffiti on public property, and repairing potholes.

In May 2011, the City Controller released the Street and Sidewalk Perception Study Report which revealed that pedestrians generally have a positive perception of the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks. The most common complaints were about cigarette butts, trash, smells, grime, and generally dirty appearance. The report also recommended the department to increase public outreach and awareness to property owners about sidewalk cleanliness and maintenance responsibilities.

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services. For more information, please visit www.sfdpw.org