Council Approves New Trash, Street Sweeping Contracts

After a nearly year-long process, new waste hauler and street sweeping contracts with Athens Services were unanimously approved by the Hermosa Beach City Council Tuesday evening.

Tuesday's approval means that Hermosa Beach will now officially adopt a new system of waste disposal as well as a new rate structure when Athens begins its services on July 1.

The new system, known as the "pay as you throw" system, will charge residents based on the size of their trash container rather than a flat monthly rate that current waste hauler Consolidated Waste Services charges. The city said the new system – which was extensively debated by the City Council and residents over the course of multiple public hearings that began last July – will save most residents money while giving them an incentive to recycle. 

The new contracts with Athens will last for eight years with an option to extend them another two years if desired.

While the approval of the new waste hauler contract came relatively quickly Tuesday night, it took a bit more discussion to approve the city's street sweeping contract as many councilmen and community members called into question the quality and frequency of the service when it came to cleaning The Strand and Hermosa Avenue sidewalks.

Unlike the trash contract, Athens has held the city's street sweeping contract since November 2010. When negotiating the new trash contract, the city concurrently negotiated a new street sweeping contract with Athens to get a five percent break on costs, a staff report stated.

Currently, sidewalks are cleaned four times per year – a practice Councilmen Howard Fishman and Jeff Duclos said needs to be evaluated.

"I see some pretty dirty sidewalks downtown... If you are seeing what we are seeing, it is not a pretty sight," Councilman Howard Fishman said. "I really think we need to take a closer look at frequency."

Residents who spoke at the public hearing seemed to agree that not enough is being done to keep sidewalks and The Strand clean.

"I don't want to over dramatize things, but I am disappointed, disgusted, appalled, alarmed... Children play on that smooth beautiful Strand and now it's dirty, it's stained," said Hermosa Beach resident George Seaman. "It all started unfortunately when Athens took over... Whatever they are doing is not enough."

Jerry Costello, whose company CleanStreet held the city's street sweeping contract before Athens, called into question the equipment Athens was using to clean the Strand and also said the eight-year contract was too long.

"By giving eight years, you have lost all leverage with these people," Costello said. "Performance really is an important thing before you give someone an extension... That is something a contractor should be working for."

Athens CEO Gary Clifford promised the council and residents that his company was willing to work with city staff to find a solution to ensure streets and sidewalks are clean.

"We are willing to work with staff on what we believe to be an increase in steam cleaning," Clifford said. "Certainly, anytime someone has a complaint about how The Strand looks, if they call our 1-800 number, they are going to get service fit for a councilmember whether they are or not."

The council eventually approved the street sweeping contract unanimously but asked that city staff to evaluate street sweeping frequency and come back with recommendations on how to improve the cleanliness of city streets, sidewalks and The Strand.

The city said that it will now begin a public information campaign to notify residents of the changes in trash collection. Community workshops as well as open houses will be scheduled in May and June with information and rate option cards sent to residences in April and May. Official dates have not yet been set for those activities.

Previously:

• Hermosa City Council Hears Protests Over New Trash Rates
• City Picks Cart System for Waste Management
• Panel Suggests Trash Service Changes