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Saturday, January 31, 2009
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Wisconsin - A diesel spill closed parts of Lincoln Avenue in West Allis around 7:00am yesterday morning. Fire officials said that a tractor trailer was leaking diesel fuel between Highway 100 and 117th Street. A street sweeper has completed the final process of cleaning up the spill. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 30, 2009
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Government Fleet magazine is currently performing its second biannual Public Sector Salary Survey. Are you paid enough? Find out by participating in this survey before March 27. Last years article can be found here. http://www.government-fleet.com/Article/Story/2007/09/First-Ever-Public-Sector-Survey-Fleet-Manager-Salaries-Average-70481.aspx. Please take a moment to fill out this brief questionnaire at: http://www.government-fleet.com/survey/GF09Salary. We appreciate your assistance in helping us gather the most accurate and up-to-date information. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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Litter problems in the centre of Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset, UK could soon be swept away following a decision by the town council to invest in a dedicated street cleaner. Councillors this week voted in favour of spending £12,500 on employing a person to keep the streets of Burnham clean, on the understanding that the funding will be matched by Sedgemoor District Council. Town clerk Eileen Shaw told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "Councillors are very keen to see the state of cleaning improved in the town centre and want a dedicated street cleaner." "This is only a recommendation at this stage and will require agreement from the town council and Sedgemoor District Council." The topic was debated at the town council's Policy and Finance Committee on Monday and will be reviewed at next week's meeting of the full council. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Several gallons of oil were spilled in front of Smathers Library in Gainesville, FL early Tuesday morning. “A street sweeper broke during the night around 4 a.m.,” said Reggie Jacobs, a UF Physical Plant Division employee who helped clean the spill. UF’s spokesman Steve Orlando said the spill was caused from a hydraulic leak. The oil ran on the sidewalk and road between UF’s Peabody Hall and Plaza of the Americas. It did not spread to any sewage drains or grass, Orlando said. According to Jacobs, two dump truck loads of sand were brought in to absorb and clean up the oil. Cleanup began at 7 a.m. and continued through the afternoon, he said. Orlando said once oil was absorbed by the sand, it was placed into four 55–gallon drums and deposited at UF’s Department of Health and Safety Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Steve Mustakos was back clearing Fountain Terrace in a snowstorm — until he ran into an angry neighbor with a snowblower. Yet another winter storm Wednesday pulled Mustakos from his usual gig piloting a street sweeper or driving a truck for the city’s public works department. He returned (click on video) to Westville’s Fountain Terrace late in the morning after having already plowed it earlier in the day. He was making a last lap and making sure the street was clear enough to check off his to-do list. That’s when he saw a man blowing the snow off his driveway into the street, in violation of city law. Mustakos had seen him doing that earlier. Mustakos stopped. “Sir,” he asked the man, “please stop blowing snow into the street.” He asked him to blow it into his yard instead. “I can’t,” the homeowner insisted. His voice was raised, his face flustered, his arms gesturing in protest. Mustakos drove on, not wanting to provoke an incident. He called his supervisor, Rich “Big Daddy” Christensen. Mustakos returned to the scene a few minutes later, as Christensen rolled up. They conferred. Then Christensen approached the man with the snowblower and repeated the request to stop blowing snow into the street. The man continued to argue. Christensen issued a verbal warning, then left. “Next time,” Christensen reported afterward, “I’ll give him a $100 ticket.” As the supervisor left, the resident was moving his car into the driveway. Mustakos drove on along the now-cleared street. The battle was over, until, perhaps, the next storm. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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Invercargill, New Zealand police are investigating four suspicious blazes, including a home targeted as a family slept inside, after a rash of call-outs stretched city fire crews yesterday. Between midnight and 7pm firefighters received 11 call-outs to six structure fires, including the four being investigated, one callback to the scene of an earlier fire, one car crash and three false alarms. The question of whether a firebug was responsible for the suspicious blazes was something police and Fire Safety investigators would not be drawn on last night. Detective Fred Shandley, of Invercargill CIB, said joint investigations were continuing on whether the fires were connected. Firefighters were called to the first fire in a hayshed on Severn St about midnight. The shed was destroyed by the blaze, Mr Shandley said. The second fire about 3.30am destroyed a storage shed on Bluff Rd. A home in Bain St was the third property hit after wood against an exterior wall was set alight. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
THOUSANDS of Welsh council workers are assaulted and abused every year while doing their jobs, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed. One staff member in the Vale of Glamorgan was stabbed on duty while another was sprayed in the face with CS gas. They were among more than 3,000 recorded incidents across Wales in the past two years. Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks, who uncovered the figures said it was “appalling” that so many public servants are subjected to violence and abuse while carrying out their job. And the true figure is even higher, with six of Wales’ 22 local authorities, including the second largest – Rhondda Cynon Taf – and two big city councils – Swansea and Newport – failing to disclose numbers. The others were Flint, Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham. Some workers were forced to take time off work to recover from attacks, costing council taxpayers, while others will have received compensation for injuries suffered on duty. Many of the assaults, which included verbal and physical abuse, took place in residential care homes and special needs schools. Mr Franks, a former Cardiff Council worker, added: “Training is important to ensure staff that deal with the public during their work have effective communication skills and are able to deal with difficult people. “This needs to be on a regular basis with refreshers arranged regularly and not as a result of an attack on a member of staff. “I’m pleased local authorities are treating this issue seriously and have strong policies in place. But as a society we have to ensure these people are prosecuted.” Bridgend Council employees were subject to 343 physical assaults in 2006-07, the most of any authority which responded to the request. But chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said attacks had fallen 33% by 2007-08 to 244. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
In Greek mythology, you typically have to do something really, really bad to deserve this kind of fate. For Will Stines, it's just part of the job. "I do this probably about three hours a day," Stines said, looking over a contraption that's part lawn mower, part street sweeper and all noise. Stines works about six hours a day, so half his work day is spent at the controls of a riding mower turned sidewalk cleaner, removing the foul droppings left by illegal immigrant waterfowl wintering here from north of the border. "The geese hate this thing," said Jeff Musso, Stines' boss at Don's Landscaping. But it seems like the machine is the only thing that bothers the Canada Geese these days, and not all that much. On a Thursday morning, a few honked angrily as it pushed slowly along the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo, clearing the unseemly droppings from the concrete. But no geese actually took flight. They just meandered farther away, pecking happily at the grass and readying for another round. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, January 25, 2009
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ALLEN PARK, MI — Traffic on Southfield Road slowed to a standstill and two restaurants were closed Wednesday as a sludge spill was cleaned from the road. At about 10 a.m., a tandem hauler truck spilled about six feet of sludge on the westbound side of the road. Three lanes of the road were closed until 7 p.m. while the spill was cleaned up. “We tried hard to get it done prior to rush hour, but were unable to,” Fire Chief Mark Hogrebe said. “Traffic was backed up virtually all day long.” Arby’s, 14864 Southfield Road, and Wendy’s, 14570 Southfield Road, had to be closed for the day. The truck, driven by a 42-year-old Howell man, is owned by Jackie’s Trucking of Northville. It was carrying the non-hazardous sludge for Synagro Technologies Inc. from the Detroit Water Treatment Plant. The destination was unknown. City officials said the trailer directly behind the driver was not properly secured and began dumping sludge on the road. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
ALAMOSA, CO — Downtown merchants who shared concerns about Alamosa’s appearance during a city council work session this week can expect to see immediate improvements on streets and alleyways. Business owners meeting with the council on Wednesday said they were concerned that the downtown’s disheveled appearance would deter customers. They listed several items such as lights out on Main Street, unsightly dumpsters in the alleys and dirty streets. The city staff’s weekly update to officials on Friday responded to some of those concerns. For example, the city’s street sweeper should be on the road again already following a setback due to repairs. The city had to replace a fuel injector pump on the street sweeper and replaced one of the panels on the box this month. The sweeper was expected to hit the streets again yesterday. City administrators said the sweeper would first be used in the downtown area and then move out through the commercial areas and finally the residential areas. The city is also looking into buying a back-up sweeper but is looking for a used machine that is affordable since the city’s budget is pretty tight. The city is also responding to dumpster enclosure concerns, particularly in the alley south of Main Street. The city has a contract with Garrison Fence to construct and install chain link gates with privacy slats to block the view of the dumpsters but expects the project to take six weeks or more before it is completed. The city initially built the enclosures that are there now. City administrators said those are the only areas with space for such dumpster enclosures downtown, however, because the alleys are only 20 feet wide with power poles and gas meters on both sides. That does not leave room for fixed enclosures around the dumpsters. In addition, any dumpsters owned by the businesses themselves must be maintained by those businesses. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Saturday, January 24, 2009
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Croydon's town centre McDonald's restaurants may be popular, but its customers are creating a super-sized problem for the town – litter. In just one hour, a reporter for the Advertiser was able to collect a whole bin-liner full of McDonald's burger wrappings, drinks cartons, fries boxes, paper bags, straws and plastic lids. Now there are calls for the chain to do more to stop its customers turning the town centre into a big rubbish bin. Street cleaner Ricky Young, of Veolia Environmental Services, the firm contracted by Croydon Council to clean Croydon streets, said: "McDonald's is definitely the worst for litter. I think they should come out and pick up their own rubbish." Cllr Phil Thomas, the council's cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "The problem is with the fast food society. People go out and buy food late at night and once they've finished just dump it over the nearest wall or in the street. The problem is with a small minority who couldn't care less. If we catch these people then we will prosecute, but it's a difficult task." And Shasha Khan, of the Croydon Green Party, said that action should be taken against McDonald's to combat the problem, such as putting limits on packaging. He added: "It is concerning that people are happy just to litter. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Residents on a busy road in Peterborough,UK have been left fuming after a pile of dirty nappies, household waste and sludge was left in the middle of the road by binmen. The stinking rubbish was left on Spalding Road, in Deeping St James, near Market Deeping, at 9.30am yesterday, when the bin lorry suffered a mechanical problem, causing the rubbish to spew out of the back. Along with the obvious health hazard left outside their front doors, residents said they were concerned that motorists could lose control of their cars. Karen Clare (38), who lives in the house next to where the lorry was parked, said: "The lorry just dumped the rubbish on the road and the men left it there. "The rubbish has been blown and moved down the road. I don't want it near my house." Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 23, 2009
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Huddersfield, UK - An unemployed man jumped to his death on to a busy motorway after struggling to find work, an inquest heard. Jonathan Swift, 37, died instantly when he plummeted from Brown Cow Bridge on to the M62 motorway on July 15 last year. His body was found underneath the bridge. The Huddersfield inquest heard that Mr Swift, of Dewsbury, had worked as a technical manager for Batley firm HM Doors but had been made redundant in February. He had struggled to find work and was in a large amount of debt, which left him feeling depressed. The inquest heard that father-of-one Mr Swift had gone for a job interview in Leeds the morning that he died but was told that there were no job opportunities available for him. Hours later, road sweeper John Warley saw him standing on the bridge as he was cleaning Scammonden Road. He said: “As I turned to go over the bridge I saw a bloke walking about on the bridge, he was walking back and forth and kept looking over the railings at the traffic. “He then grabbed hold of the railings, pulled himself up and went over. I drove to the entrance end of the bridge and noticed a silver Vauxhall Vectra parked there, which I thought must have been his.” Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
GROVER - Although winter weather didn't cause a lot of traffic snarls earlier this week, it played a small factor into a wreck Thursday on I-85. The wreck happened in Cleveland County, a few miles from the state line in the southbound lanes at mile marker two. State Highway Patrol Trooper J.J. Waters said around 5:10 a.m., a Honda Accord struck a road sweeper that was sweeping up salt put down earlier in the week in preparation for snow and ice. The wreck backed up traffic in southbound lanes, but traffic was flowing normally two hours later. The sweeper's driver is a private contractor based out of Charlotte and was not a state-owned Department of Transportation vehicle, according to Highway Patrol. The Charlotte-based company ICA is responsible for sweeping I-8f in Gaston and Cleveland counties, according to the DOT. "It's better to sweep a road at that time of the morning," Waters said. The sweeper was in the right lane, going southwest on I-85 and was in the process of sweeping the roadway, the trooper said. The 2002 Honda Accord was also in the right lane and was headed to Gaffney, S.C. from Charlotte. The larger vehicle in front of her blocked her view of the sweeper. When that vehicle moved, she struck the trailer in the rear. Waters said the woman had been following the car in front of her too closely. The speed limit on that part of the road is 65 mph, although Waters said speed was not a factor in the wreck. "If you're following too closely to another vehicle and you can't see what's ahead of that vehicle and they suddenly move, you're going to hit what was in front, regardless of the speed," said Waters. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - Pocomoke City police have made three arrests in connection with an October fire that caused more than $700,000 damage to a municipal building. Twenty-two-year-old Nicholas Depaolis, his 19-year-old brother Matthew and 19-year-old Charles Furst are each charged with second-degree arson and multiple burglary and theft counts. All three men are from Pocomoke City and were arrested Tuesday. Police say the suspects are charged in the fire on Oct. 5 that ruined the Public Works Department maintenance facility on 7th Street. The fire destroyed tools, mowers and a $100,000 street sweeper. Sphere: Related Content
A baby appearing to be about three months old was found in a garbage bin in front a house in Bangkok's Suan Luang district Wednesday morning. The boy, wrapped in blue towel, was found in the garbage bin on Soi Onnuj 60 at 8 am. An identification and social security card of Chidchai Inson, 44, a Lop Buri resident, were found with the baby. Warin Khuinok, 35, a road sweeper, told police that she saw a young man carrying the baby before the baby was found inside the garbage bin later. The young man asked her if she knew a man, called Chai. Sphere: Related Content
MEXICO CITY -- In the endless struggle against the forces of litter, street cleaner Gabriela Ibarra fights her battle one piece of discarded bubble gum at a time. She bends to her task, first softening the spent blob with a jet of steam, then scouring the goo with a zap of chemical spray, before finally vacuuming the chewed wad from the pavement. How many pieces of gray gum pock the sidewalks of one of the world's largest, dirtiest, gummiest cities? You might as well ask "how many stars are there in the sky," said Ricardo Jaral Fernández, the city government's executive coordinator for the conservation of public spaces. The answer is a lot. "In some locations, such as the exits of the subway? We have counted hundreds of pieces of chewing gum per square meter. However, we believe the average is 70, more or less." How long has some of the gum adhered to the walkways of the old city? Perhaps since the invention of modern chewing gum -- in the late 1800s. But Jaral vows: No more! Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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Italy's Fiat Group has confirmed plans to acquire an initial 35 percent stake in Chrysler LLC, providing Fiat the scale it needs to survive, and allowing Chrysler to expand its product portfolio to include small, less-polluting cars. In a joint statement, Fiat, Chrysler, and Chrysler's majority shareholder Cerberus Capital Management L.P, said they have signed "a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance." Chrysler said the deal, which involves no cash investment and is supported by the United Auto Workers, formed a key component of plans to secure its future, and would grant it access to Fiat's more fuel-efficient vehicle platforms, engines, and transmissions. According to press reports, Fiat will have an option to boost its stake to 55 percent at a later date. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Around the country, local officials are already banking on the new administration’s proposed stimulus package, identifying infrastructure projects that could be tackled immediately with federal funding and announcing how many jobs these projects would create. Many of these projects are related to stormwater and combined sewer overflow (CSO) control. For example, a consortium of local governments in northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana—the area of the Maumee River watershed—are facing an estimated $1 billion cost to meet EPA clean water mandates, including reducing CSOs. Fort Wayne experiences CSOs approximately 71 days each year and plans to spend $240 million over the next decade and a half to solve the problem, according to city officials—that’s about $1,200 per person. Toledo will spend about $1,500 per person to deal with the same problem. Back in December, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown wrote a letter to president-elect Obama requesting funding for infrastructure projects and, specifically, recommending a total of $5 billion in grants for CSO projects. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
The Eureka City Council on Tuesday night will discuss several Eureka Police Department issues -- including a proposed agreement with the union and a proposed transfer of funds to support the Problem Oriented Policing program. The council will also review a draft of a much-anticipated wireless communications ordinance and vote on whether to approve the purchase of a new street sweeper, costing $183,161.55. According to staff reports, the current primary and backup sweepers are approximately seven and 12 years old. A new one would increase dependability and reduce maintenance costs. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 19, 2009
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Director of Public Works Harold F. Alvord has recommended a nearly $14.3 million capital budget for fiscal year 2009-10. The request is down 26.5 percent from the $19.5 million, which Alvord sought for fiscal year 2008-09, but up 23 percent from the $11.6 million that the Common Council ultimately approved. "Our recommendation maintains a focus on the things that we've been able to make gains on, and we want to keep making gains on, like road paving and the fleet replacement program," Alvord said. Road paving accounts for the largest area of spending within Alvord's 2009-10 capital budget recommendation. Overall, he has requested $5.5 million. For the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, Alvord sought $6.5 million for road reconstruction and was allocated $4 million. Building management accounts for nearly $3.69 million within the new capital budget recommendation. Of that, nearly $2.8 million is targeted toward demolition of the former police department headquarters at 297 West Ave. Mayor Richard A. Moccia has sought to expedite demolition of the building. In 2008-09, Alvord requested roughly $1.7 million for building management and was allocated $414,000. For fleet replacement, the public work director has recommended $1.26 million. The money, if approved, would pay for, among other things, a dump truck, a garbage truck, a tree removal truck and a street sweeper. Alvord sought $1.5 million for fleet replacement in fiscal year 2008-09 and was given $717,000. For flood prevention and other stormwater management projects, Alvord is recommending spending $1,055,000. The figure is down from his fiscal year 2008-09 request of $7.1 million, because most of the projects have started or are currently under design. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Saturday, January 17, 2009
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Peru's highest court has ruled that a worker who was dismissed for allegedly being drunk at work should not have been sacked and should be reinstated. The judgement by the Constitutional Court said the man, a street cleaner, merely had alcohol on his breath. The ruling was criticised by the prime minister for setting a precedent, but the judges said it was a one-off. In many Latin American countries, smelling of alcohol at work can be grounds for dismissal. The seven judges who make up Peru's highest judicial authority ruled that the sacking of Pablo Cayo, who worked in a suburb of Lima, had been excessive and that he should be reinstated. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
CRIME and grime issues will be sorted out sooner thanks to a new technology project introduced in Chester in the UK. A project is being funded to improve the way street cleansing teams receive and respond to reports of environmental problems. The new system, designed by the city council's information technology team, allows the contact center to send jobs to the most appropriate area-based team following reports from the public or councilors who have highlighted a problem. It means the team can respond to priority jobs within specified periods. The old system was paper-based and involved several processes before jobs were allocated to the appropriate teams. The new arrangement will save time, paper and cut out unnecessary bureaucracy allowing the teams to prioritize their work load and improve their efficiency. The teams receive the details of jobs on screen and they can also take before and after photographs when necessary, to record completed work and pinpoint fly-tipping or other waste related calls. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 16, 2009
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With one stroke, a renewed federal commitment to funding the rebuilding America’s infrastructure could help economically and environmentally. Funding could get the economy moving and help reduce carbon emissions. For example, about 35,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion invested in infrastructure. And how many emissions could be avoided by not burning the 5.7 billion gallons annually wasted in traffic jams, not to mention energy savings? But what about the quality of the projects? Funded infrastructure projects must provide for the greater common good. Congress cannot approve earmarks or neighborhood special interest projects – swimming pools and tennis courts come to mind. Projects that benefit all Americans include critical commerce corridors, upgrades to existing highways, ports and water systems. Up to 3,000 of these much needed projects could start within 60-90 days of funding, and funding is needed immediately. The U.S. needs to invest upwards of $340 billion in transportation projects, but it only invests $85 billion now. This shortfall has cost us dearly in global competitiveness and will cost the country more in the future. We must meet the funding challenge for our infrastructure needs. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
News Facts - More than 40 leading utilities have recently implemented or selected Oracle Utilities software to help meet ever-evolving customer needs, streamline billing processes, accelerate revenue collection, enhance operational efficiency and deliver on commitments to environmental sustainability. The Oracle Utilities suite provides industry-leading applications for customer care and billing, mobile workforce management, outage and distribution, work and asset management and meter data management. Utilities worldwide continue to turn to Oracle, further validating Oracle's strength as a provider of end-to-end solutions that support mission critical utilities processes. We are committed to providing world-class applications and infrastructure software that offer valuable business insight and empower utilities to respond to the industry's unique business drivers ? allowing them to improve customer service, enhance efficiency and delivery on commitments to environmental sustainability," said Quentin Grady, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities. "Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing delivers the insight we need to further enhance Utilities, Inc.'s customer focus and improve the customer experience overall," said Larry Schumacher, president and chief executive officer, Utilities, Inc. "To serve our demanding Silicon Valley customers, we must deliver exceptional customer service while continually advancing operational efficiencies to keep costs down. After careful evaluation, SJW's team chose Oracle to help improve productivity and enhance customer service," said Dana Drysdale, vice president and chief information officer, San Jose Water Company. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
The Selma, N.C. Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Fire Departments outlined their major needs – combined costing about $800,000 - for 2009 plus the upcoming years to Town Council Saturday, Jan. 10. The Wilson Building on the Johnston Community College campus hosted Council and all of the department heads’ for their retreat. The needs facing Public Works and Water and Sewer Department Head Terry Keen, and the Selma Fire Department Chief Phillip McDaniel said they mostly need updated or new equipment. They started their presentations with their major needs followed by smaller wants and goals. According to Keen, Public Works needs a new dump truck, lawnmower, a smaller dump truck for pulling a leaf machine and a street sweeper. Their current smaller dump truck is a 1995 model, which urgently, Keen said, needs replacing with a newer model. The combined costs for Public Works, Keen estimated, would be around $400,000. He added that the same need applies for the street sweeper. “They need a new one every ten years,” Keen said, adding that a good route would be to apply for grants. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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SEOUL (AFP) — A jobless scientist in South Korea with a doctorate in physics applied for a street sweeper's job amid the economic slump but failed the physical, local officials said Tuesday. The 36-year-old was among 63 applicants -- eleven of them university graduates -- for five openings in Seoul's Gangseo district. But brawn overcame brains as far as the scientist was concerned. Applicants had to carry two sandbags each weighing 20 kg (44 pounds) over their shoulders to simulate stacking garbage bags, before dashing back and forth over 25 meters (yards) with another sandbag on their shoulder. The scientist, identified only as Kim, was three seconds too slow in the dash, Chung Young-Ik, an official in charge, told AFP. "I carded in poor results," a dejected Kim told journalists. The district office said an average 12.6 people vied for each sweeper's job this year compared to eight last year. The 33 million won (25,000 dollar) average starting salary for a sweeper is more than fresh graduates earn in large businesses, Chung said. The job is also very secure, allowing people to work until they turn 60. South Korea's economy generated 78,000 new jobs in November, down from 97,000 created the previous month, as companies avoid hiring amid the ongoing economic slump, the National Statistics Office said. Job growth has been one of the top priorities for the government of President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February. Lee has said he aims to create around 200,000 new jobs annually. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 12, 2009
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MINNEAPOLIS - Following a year in which fuel prices reached historic highs, more than 30 metro-area cities, counties, school districts and state agencies have banded together to purchase more than 5 million gallons of fuel in 2009, in a move that will lock in lower prices and reduce their fuel bills by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Prices in the contracts range from $1.439 for gasoline to $2.31 for premium diesel, below recent market averages in the metro area. Savings from the new contracts come at a good time for the agencies, since many will be hit with cutbacks in state aid payments. The new contract will save the city about $250,000 of the $600,000 it budgeted for fuel and guarantees that participating local governments will spend about $4.2 million for gasoline and about $5.5 million for all diesel blends. Without the contract, local governments would pay substantially more if fuel prices shoot upward again. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Cincinnati, Ohio - In a stinging defeat for the Bush Environmental Protection Agency, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a clear rebuke against the administration’s 2006 rule which exempted certain commercial pesticide applications from the oversight provided by Congress under the Clean Water Act. The Court held that pesticide residuals and biological pesticides constitute pollutants under federal law and therefore must be regulated under the Clean Water Act to minimize the impact to human health and the environment. Several manufacturers and industry associations had joined the case in an attempt to broaden the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2006 exemption. The Court told them in no uncertain terms that their products are harmful to human health and the environment, and therefore EPA must regulate aquatic pesticide applications under the Clean Water Act. With this decision, virtually all commercial pesticide applications to, over and around waterways will now require National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The NPDES permits will allow for local citizen input, and provide for accountability and oversight. The permits will also require the regulatory agencies to evaluate effects on fish and wildlife from individual applications, to monitor exactly how much of a pesticide application goes into our nation’s waters, and to evaluate the cumulative impact this residual effect has on aquatic organisms. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Hako is presenting the Hako Jonas 1900, the new high performance vacuum sweeper with diesel or LPG drive for heavy-duty, large area applications e.g. in industry, logistics or multi-storey car parks. With an area performance of approx. 25.000 m²/h the Jonas 1900 is the most powerful, efficient vacuum sweeper that Hako has ever had in its product range. The Hako Jonas 1900 removes heavy debris in large quantities at a working speed of up to 13 km/h. As a result of the powerful hydraulic drive even steep gradients can be overcome without problem. The high sweeping performance is not only the result of an impressive working width of 1,930 mm (with 2 side brushes), but can also be put down to the generously dimensioned dirt hopper with a volume of 780 litres. At the same time the unique RTR-System (Rotary Trash Relocation) ensures the highest possible degree of filling. By tipping the hopper the dirt, which has been swept up, is transported to the rear, so that space is created at the front again for more swept debris. The hopper is emptied via high dump up to 162 cm. Two cassette filters (total filter area 11 m2, degree of separation > 99 %) each with a shaker motor, ensure that the level of cleanliness of the used air is very high. The filters are accessible without the need for tools and are washable. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc., the clean technology emissions reduction company and Eaton Corporation announces they have entered into a global non-exclusive licensing agreement. Under the agreement, Eaton will use Clean Diesel's patented Advanced Reagent Injector System (ARIS®) technology for injection of hydrocarbon fuel in emissions reduction applications, including Eaton's Aftertreatment System. This technology can also be applied to regeneration of diesel particulate filters and lean NOx traps in various global applications. Both Eaton's innovative Aftertreatment and fuel dosing systems have worldwide application for reducing NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel engines. Eaton is targeting NOx and PM control technologies for production in 2011 and beyond in various applications. NOx and PM are a significant health hazard and are estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cause 20,000 premature deaths annually in America. Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma are especially at risk. These systems can be used for on-road, off-road and stationary applications, with a combined global market size of new medium-duty and higher engines exceeding 7 million per year. Eaton's unique Aftertreatment System does not require the use of additional urea for NOx reduction. It is an integrated system that effectively meets the EPA and international regulation requirements without the on-vehicle storage, replenishment and infrastructure a urea-based system requires. For example, EPA regulations require that all new 2010 on-road engines comply with increasingly strict NOx and PM standards. Clean Diesel's ARIS technology is designed for use in all types of combustion engines. Its key advantages include the use of a single emissions reduction fluid to provide injector cooling and the fact that it is easier to manufacture, install and operate than compressed air systems. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 9, 2009
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When the Paonia Town Council approved the 2009 budget in mid-December, one stand out point was that the town funds have good reserves. According to the 2009 Budget Message by finance officer Kristin Chesnik, the general fund reserve is 49.48 percent. The reserve could cover expenses for half of the year. That amount does not include a reimbursement from Rural Development to the Town of Paonia for costs on the new sewer treatment plant. The town received $750,000, which they are holding in special reserve. The water fund reserve is 79 percent, wastewater 90 percent and sanitation 27 percent. Revenues from mineral leasing for 2009 are estimated moderately at $75,000, and from severance tax $65,000. In 2008, mineral leasing came to $125,039 and severance tax at $85,413. The 2008 approved budget estimated the figures would be $50,000 for mineral leasing and $45,000 for severance tax. The revenue was almost double than expected. Total revenues from taxes for 2009 are expected to be $524,200. Licenses and permits should add $14,350 to 2009 revenues. Intergovernmental revenues for 2009 are estimated at $130,122. That includes a $74,122 transfer from the water and wastewater funds to reimburse the town for administrative office personnel work done for the two enterprise funds. Fines and forfeits are estimated at $2,670 and miscellaneous revenues at $63,900. The total operating revenue for 2009 is approved at $735,242. General fund expenditures for 2009 are... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
The city of Vermont hopes to meet with officials from the Agency of Transportation within the next few weeks to learn more about the federal funding it will receive toward the purchase of a high-efficiency street sweeper. Rutland can receive up to $150,000 through the award, which comes from funding for stormwater mitigation and requires an 8-0/20, federal to city split on the purchase, according to Evan Pilachowski, the city's associate engineer. Unlike the city's prior mechanical sweeper, which broke down last spring, the new machine will be a vacuum-assist high-energy sweeper that stirs and sucks up dirt and debris from the roadway. The city has been awaiting word of this award for several months. In October, the Board of Aldermen authorized DPW to rent a sweeper for the month of November rather than opting to move ahead with the purchase of a new piece of machinery, which would have forfeited the city's right to any grant funding it may have been awarded. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 8, 2009
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The Independence Township took a small step forward in agreeing to terms with the Kennett City Council regarding the funds that the township currently receives from the city of Kennett tax dollars. At the Kennett City Council meeting, on Tuesday, Kennett resident Gerald Granger gave a report on a conversation with the Independence Township Board. Granger explained that the Board would like a representative of the city streets, such as a councilman or the street commissioner, to explain to the board which streets are in need of work. Once the streets in need of work are established, the board would likely give the city a small portion of funds to provide aid in correcting the problems. "This is a two-inch step forward on the behalf of Independence Township," Granger said. Granger indicated that the township board is under the impression that the city of Kennett has no prayer of completing the task of creating the Kennett Township. "They would rather sit back and do nothing," Granger said. Following a brief discussion on this continuing issue between the two entity's, the meeting continued with reports from the city departments. Randy Carter of the street department said that the final steps have been taken with FEMA to receive funds after the Hurricane Ike damage. The city of Kennett could be looking at receiving approximately $53,000 after approval by FEMA officials in Jefferson City, Mo. The new street sweeper received Sept. 26 has joined with the other sweeper to collect 190,070 lbs of leaves, sand, and other materials on the streets between the two machines as of Dec. 17. "The storm drains are still full of different materials," Carter said. The city caterpillar loader is causing problems and need of work. Assistance has been given to the city for the repair of the loader by people in the area familiar with this type of work, according to Carter. "We are trying to get as much of the labor done in house as possible," Carter added. In Police Chief Barry Tate's report he stated that the police department is running mileage on average with 22,821 miles driven in December. This number is up 1,000 miles from the previous months total. The police department received 223 dispatch calls, filed 211 reports, and responded to 43 accidents, according to Chief of Police Barry Tate. "Officers are currently checking for... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
At the corner of Fifth and Arch Streets, five shiny pennies lie scattered on the sidewalk. A tour guide cruises by with 12 Japanese tourists in her wake. They look but don't touch. Next comes a noisy whirlpool of high schoolers, a veritable denim sea of raging hormones and chirping cell phones. None of them notices the coins. A cane-carrying man with a beard like the king of spades pauses, looks down for a nanosecond, shrugs and moves on. Eventually, a street cleaner comes by, whacks a nearby cigarette butt with his broom, then sweeps it, some dead leaves and the pennies into his handled receptacle. A few feet away, a massive door leads to the U.S. Mint, 500,000 square feet spread over five acres. Here, rows of blue high-tech presses, arranged in longitudinal and latitudinal precision, produce pennies at the rate of 12 per second. For 24 hours a day, five days a week, they stamp Abraham Lincoln's profile on 12 million pieces of metal. The new pennies will be bagged and trucked to Federal Reserve Banks, where they will be allocated to commercial banks, then to cash registers, and finally to dresser tops, desk drawers, mason jars, sofas, beaches, sewer gratings, garbage cans and landfills. Some will sit in communal plastic trays next to cash registers, take them or leave them. Chump change. Each penny will cost 1.67 cents to produce. It's true: It costs more than a penny to make a penny. Last year, the mint produced 7.4 billion pennies. They were worth $74 million, but they cost $123 million to make. Another way to look at it is that every time a penny is made, it increases the national debt by almost the same amount. If this strikes you as odd, it is. Never before in American history, and seldom since the Lydians minted the first coins about 2,500 years ago, has the price of making the coin exceeded the value of said coin. It's the result of sharp rises in the cost of... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
The city of Burlington is on track to borrow up to $4.5 million to fund streets projects, equipment upgrades, and, possibly, the purchase of portable flood barriers. Advertisement After a public hearing sans comments from the public Monday, Burlington City Council members voted unanimously to advance a plan to borrow funds as part of a general obligation bond anticipation loan. The council is expected to give final approval to the loan in two weeks. If OK'd, the two-year bond anticipation notes will be used to fund street projects and equipment replacement this year and next. By waiting until 2011 to take out the 10-year loan, City Manager Doug Worden said the city will circumvent a municipal bond market that is currently in flux. "We thought it made sense to do the two-year notes ... instead of locking ourselves in to a potential higher rate due to the current market environment," he said. "Local banks have indicated they will purchase that debt." The city's street department will... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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With a respite from the snow and flooding, Portland street sweepers are out again today, rumbling along, trying to get nearly 5,000 cubic yards of gravel out of the way. But motorists, cyclists and walkers sick of the slippery, dirty pebbles laid down in "sanding" operations during last month's snow storms shouldn't get too excited. "We have no idea how long it will take to get it all up," said Cheryl Kuck, a Portland Department of Transportation spokeswoman. "It could be a few to several weeks." Of course, the clean-up timetable depends largely on the scornful winter weather we've had. "We've obviously had a flood and another snow event that we had to deal with last night," Kuck said. "This has been a long unending storm." Also, it should be noted that city crews have a done a spik-and-span job on clearing several bike lanes in the city of gravel from "sanding" operations, including my route along Northeast Broadway. It was smooth riding this morning. As for the latest on the budget numbers, Kuck said the city's accountants are still pounding away at calculators. "We're still thinking it will be a $2 million event," she said. One problem: The city had only... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 5, 2009
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Schwarze Industries recently delivered a purpose built highway sweeper to the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. Working closely with the RTA in all design and manufacturing stages, Schwarze staff produced what is probably a first on Australian roads and certainly a first in local sweeper manufacture. Mounted on a bogie drive Hino FM 500 with 26 tonne GVM and 7.2 cubic metre hopper, the purpose of the larger sweeper is to work long shifts at night without needing to return to landfill. The larger hopper and greater payload required a redesign of the hopper lift hydraulic system. A third broom was fitted to the left hand side to sweep into spoon drains and under guard rails as well as many other operational extras. “Here at Schwarze we love a challenge and strive to deliver what the customer wants” said Garrin Angel, Operations Manager. “ Although this particular sweeper required additional design and production time, some of the lessons learned have already been applied to our standard sweepers and we know we are in a position to manufacture similar specialist vehicles in the future. We have the resources, but... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
PASADENA - After the pomp and pageantry that is the Rose Parade, a thankless and dirty job remains - cleaning up the 70 tons of waste produced by the city's signature event. About 75 workers hit the streets after the festivities ended, setting into motion the massive cleanup operation. "It's amazing the number of debris that gets left out there," said Pasadena Public Works Director Martin Pastucha. "It's really an amazing amount of work." "It takes about one-and-a-half to two hours" to complete the cleanup, Mulheim said, adding that district "ambassadors" often help out, sweeping rubbish to the curb before the mechanized street-sweepers take over and after trucks remove the bulky items left behind. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 2, 2009
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In a troubled economy, the Athens Public Works Department may not be able to hire additional employees. But, according to Public Works Director Shawn Lindsey, they don't need to. With a staff of only 36 full-time, one part-time and four seasonal employees, Public Works employs a staff of hundreds in terms of the abilities and expertise of each staff member, Lindsey said. "No one here can do fewer than two different jobs," said Lindsey. "If we only did one job, it would take many more people to do all that we do." Cross-training is a staple of Public Works that Lindsey said allows the department to perform more services for less money. While an employee may enter Public Works as an equipment operator or animal control officer, they generally leave having several titles after their name. "One of our animal control people is cross-trained as a light equipment operator. We have sanitation workers who can also do street maintenance and construction. A guy on the back hoe can also ride on the garbage truck, and the trash guys can process recycling materials. I'm even cross-trained as a GIS technician," said Lindsey. "Cross-training helps us to shift around labor when we need to so that if things are slow in one area, we can move those people into another area where there's more work to be done." Employee versatility also helps keep certain Public Works programs, such as recycling, functioning efficiently and cheaply. "We all at Public Works share in the operation of the Recycling Center, and we use Keep McMinn Beautiful volunteers. That allows us to do a whole lot with very little," said Lindsey. "The key thing Athens has going for it in terms of recycling is we don't have to put a lot of time and money into the program. We don't put days into recycling. We put minutes and hours in here and there." Cross-training also ensures that jobs get done in the event of an employee's absence. "If our one street sweeper operator got sick, we could have dirty streets for quite some time. But, because... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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In 2008, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed three far-reaching ordinances: Low-Impact Development (LID), Green Building, and Drought-Tolerant Landscaping. These ordinances, which take a major step toward protecting water quality and the green builiding initiative, go into effect January 1, 2009. L.A.’s new green development ordinances should lead to increased environmental sustainability and a significant reduction of energy, cleaning our water supply and increasing existing groundwater supplies. The ordinances apply to nearly all development but are especially strong for new development and large redevelopment projects. Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content
ATLANTIC CITY - The city's only female truck driver for the sanitation department alleges in a lawsuit that she was sexually harassed by her supervisors, whom she accuses of sending her obscene photos and making lewd comments and gestures. Lisa Fundberg-Carr, a truck driver for the city since February 2006, claims her supervisor, Melvin Jones, "pinned her up against the wall and tried to put his tongue down her throat" in March or April 2006. Fundberg-Carr claims she reported the incident to Barbara Camper, the city's equal opportunity employment officer at that time, but claims no action was taken against Jones. In May 2006, Fundberg-Carr claims, her co-worker at the time, Brian Williams, made comments such as "how does this feel between your legs" while in training with her. The suit states that Williams also sent Fundberg-Carr obscene photos of himself to her cell phone. Fundberg-Carr said she reported the incident but claims nothing was done. In the meantime, Williams continued to... Read Full Article Sphere: Related Content |
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