Panel Q&A / Beautification Report

Panel Q & A from February 28th Downtown Beautification Mixer at T&B Sports

DST Jesse Taylor-Vermont

Project Manager • Marin County Downtown Streets Team

DST's cleaning schedule:  Fourth Street, D to Hetherton, M-F 8am-noon, Special Projects on Fridays.

West End and Under Freeway, rotate to clean 1 or 2 times per month. Pick up 5,000 gallons of debris per week, 1 million cigarette butts since started in San Rafael in 2013.

25 team members, Teams of 3-6, Peer-led to learn management skills, they don't go out in rain for safety issues. DST serving over 5 years with 112 folks placed back into the workforce and 86 in housing - Success!

Mobile On Demand? Visit http://www.dstclean.com/  send a picture and directions to debris and DST will attend to it as soon as they can.

Please contact Jesse Taylor-Vermont, Marin Project Manager at jesse@streetsteam.org for any questions about Downtown Streets Team.

San Rafael Clean: Cory Bytof

Created almost 10 years ago with 200 members.

Currently has 100 SR Clean Businesses, so they're planning to reinvigorate the program.

Take the Clean Business pledge here:

https://sanrafaelvolunteers.org/home/volunteer-opportunities/san-rafael-clean/

San Rafael Clean achieved litter reduction by placing the Downtown receptacles for cigarette butts, the Purple "Put Your Change To Work" Meters, and Oscar the Coaster, which reminded smokers to properly dispose of butts.

(Cory stated that San Rafael has the lowest smoking rate in the state!)

Public Works Department: Bill Guerin, Director

Schedule of Steam Cleaning of Sidewalks:

Done 12 times per year, usually before events, at 4am. Dates will soon be published on PW page of SR City Website.

Tri-Color is the Contractor. Ghilotti Brothers offered to do additional 3-4 times per year.

Mark Wright, Facilities Maintenance, supervises

For cracks and tripping issues, Precision 6 is doing Sidewalk Shaving and Van Midde is doing the concrete work.

Report an Issue on the Public Works page:  https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/report-an-issue/

Bill Guerin, the Public Works Director wants feedback from our businesses.

Would Downtown folks like to keep/replace the Tree lights or do you prefer the Overhead lights like the new ones in the West End?

Trash can redesign to address rats and homeless, planter design on corners.

Plan/status of Landscaping - Street Trees: The City is planning a 10-year tree replacement program on 4th Street.

The corner trees are getting old and tearing up sidewalks/accessible ramps and making planting areas rootbound so they need to be taken out and replaced.

The mid-block trees are younger and will last for awhile. Considering tree grate replacements.

Marin Sanitary Service:  Jennifer Grenier Selvig | Commercial Recycling Coordinator

Schedule of Garbage pick up: No set time, but per MSS contract with the city, they empty the city-owned garbage cans 6 days a week all over Downtown.  The city provides, fixes and may have to buy lids for these cans, not MSS.

For missed Garbage pick up contact: Customer Service Commercial Dept 415-456-2601  

"Recycling is the Law", businesses can call or make an appt. with Jennifer to help understand recycling and the upcoming Organic Laws like AB 1826 (rats). Attached is basic info on laws affecting businesses. Reach Jennifer at: 415-458-5542 or jennifer.grenier@marinsanitary.comhttps://marinsanitaryservice.com/

Businesses can call for extra cardboard pick-up at no extra fee Call: 415-456-2601, if they have garbage service with us!  Cardboard recycling service costs are included in your garbage rate.

Additional services available? Additional garbage cans/lids? Additional Costs involved?  We have some locking carts available for a fee.  We offer steam cleaning of our carts for $15/each cart.  We can pick up extra trash or bulky items for a fee.  Commercial composting has been available to businesses since 2015, and our Food to Energy program has been available to restaurants and grocery stores since 2014.  There is a small fee but it is half of what it would be if it was landfill service.