In government today, we have to be creative, and we have to partner, to do more with less. When it comes to using inmate details to clean up our communities, that's exactly what we've done.
Today, we received a report showing that the joint Hamilton County/Cincinnati effort to use inmate "details" in communities across the County is off to a remarkable start. From August to December 2008, the details removed 237,270 pounds of garbage off neighborhood streets, and cleaned 808 total miles (further than the distance from here to New York City) in major corridors, gateways, and business districts throughout Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
And as well know, cleaning up our communities is an essential part of making them safe.
Financial support for the Partnership comes from grants totaling $120K from 3CDC, the City of Cincinnati Department of Public Services, and the Hamilton County Solid Waste District (and not the County’s general fund). The funds pay for the deputy salaries who supervise the inmates. The deputies also cite property owners who fail to follow code.
In Hamilton County, the cleanup areas include: Cheviot, Forest Park, Mt. Healthy, Lincoln Heights, Colerain, Green Township, Delhi, and Golf Manor. In Cincinnati, the areas include: West End, Westwood/Price Hill, Northside, Walnut Hills / East Walnut Hills, Avondale, Evanston, Madisonville, and Corryville / CUF and Over the Rhine.
This is a great start, and we look forward to rolling this out to other communities.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
This is pretty great stuff! Good job. I had an idea that instead of persons convicted taking a number and calling back for room in the jail, that instead you place a commercial size dumpster at a designated location and invite some of those on the waiting list for jail to come on down and pick up trash. Give them a day off their sentence for every bag filled with garbage. No need for guards - just one lay person to validate the identity (and do we really care who does the work)and count the bags of trash. Start down on the river and work your way North. LOLOL
Also, do ya think the county could talk a seed dealer into donating some sunflower seeds to the county (or geez, how much could they cost?) and give the fellas a shovel and let them plant some seeds along the fence line on the sides of the roadways, or down the mediums of the highway.
I saw this one summer traveling to Columbus for some state board I served on and it was beautiful and refreshing to see. I don't know if the local gov't did it or the land owners did it on their own - but either way, I always anticipated the sight of them, and loved to watch the progress towards those huge giant blooms along the 2 hour ride.
(And no upkeep as long as it's along the fence line it never interferred with the mowing. And I don't think it matters when they're planted, they'll gorw when it's time)
Post a Comment