By José Ayala
The City of Lawrence Department of Public Works (DPW) serves a population of over 95,000 residents in an area of 7.4 square miles of land and water of mixed residential and commercial properties. DPW is responsible for numerous aspects of the City of Lawrence such as parks, street sweeping, potholes, signs, and other public infrastructures.
According to our research at DPW, there’re only 5-7 employees who show up to work on a daily basis and who are in charge for these duties. After substantial staff reductions, supervisors complain that they simply do not have enough hands to meet the demand to maintain our streets, parks and other structures clean and well preserved.
While driving or walking, Lawrence residents and visitors can see and many get depressed when they see the condition of many of our parks, streets, sidewalks and empty lots which are in desperate need of regular maintenance.
The City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee is discussing a $260.6 million budget for fiscal year 2017 that begins on July 1st, 2016. This is the budget plan presented by Mayor Dan Rivera on May 17th.
The budget includes raises for some department heads, including the Police Chief, the City Attorney, the Director of Veterans Services, and Sewer and Water Commissioner. Moreover, five new police officers would be hired this year. Last year, 8 new police officers also joined the force, and we welcomed them. Safety in Lawrence continues to be a top priority. But we also need more employees at DPW. What really make any city successful are these main areas: Money (City Budget); Public Services (DPW), Safety (Police), and Education (schools).
But one close ally of stress, depression, abuse of substances, crime, and other illegal activities are also neglected parks, dirty lots, trash, and abandoned/neglected properties.
It has been widely documented that a clean and positive environment and well maintained public structures, improve both physical and emotional health. Clean streets, lots and equipped parks and facilities for children and teens can be a rewarding experience, benefiting all aspects of their life, including boosting their mood, building community involvement, and adding enjoyment to their lives. Moreover, they improve our image and make our City more attractive to visitors and investors.
Please ask Mayor Rivera and City Councilors to add more funds and permanent employees to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for fiscal year 2017. Sign the petition found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/trash.it.out
This petition will be delivered to the Mayor and City Councilors before June 8th, 2016.
For questions on how you can help, call 978-325-1986, or to get involved.
