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Washington Post
6 days ago
- Washington Post
Scrape, paint, repeat: D.C.'s never-ending war on graffiti and stickers
In its war against graffiti, stickering and illegally posted signs, the District has found a resilient foe. As fast as the Department of Public Works crews remove the spray-painted tags and slapped-on stickers, more show up to replace them. The city hasn't lost the fight, but it hasn't won it either. And there is no end in sight.
Axios
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Atlanta to shut camp where unhoused man was killed during clearing
The city of Atlanta will permanently shut down the homeless encampment in Old Fourth Ward where a man was killed during a clearing operation. Why it matters: The clearing of the camp on Old Wheat Street, which resulted in the death of Cornelius Taylor, led to advocates calling for a moratorium on encampment clearings and the city appointing a 90-Day Homelessness Task Force. The task force released recommended changes to the shutdown process. The latest: The cleaning and shutdown will begin at 7:30am Thursday, said Chatiqua Ellison, the mayor's interim senior adviser for housing. She and other officials discussed the closing at a press briefing Monday. Old Wheat Street runs between Boulevard and Auburn Avenue and is near Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. What they're saying: The 14 people currently living on the site will be offered new places to live, said Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME, the city's nonprofit services agency. Signage was posted at the site notifying its residents of the shutdown 15 days ahead of the planned date, and case workers have been visiting the site to assess the needs of those living there. The people who've accepted will be moved into what Vassell calls "welcome housing," where they can decide whether they want to stay there short term or long term. If people do not accept the housing, they will be offered short-term shelter, "and then we can make another offer down the road as other housing solutions come up," Vassell said. Catch up quick: According to an Atlanta police incident report, Department of Public Works crews were clearing the encampment on Jan. 16 when an officer saw a man waving his arms from a tent that had just been moved by a machine. The man, who "was in clear distress," told an officer something fell on him, but he slipped into unconsciousness and was later pronounced dead. He was later identified as Taylor, 46. Friction point: Taylor's death sparked outrage from local advocates, who pressed the city to improve housing options for unsheltered residents and called for a pause on encampment clearings. The other side: Several people spoke in opposition to the planned closing during Monday's City Council meeting. "We are talking about removing residents of Atlanta from their homes in the most vicious, unethical and brutal way possible," said resident Jason Klein. State of play: Atlanta police Major Jeff Cantin said Monday the city is closing the encampment not because of next year's FIFA World Cup, but as part of an ongoing, years-long city effort. The big picture: While the city of Atlanta contends with homelessness within its borders, it's also grappling with the number of unhoused people who are relocating to the city. People from other areas are dropping people off at the Gateway Center, which is "now adding to our workload," Cantin said, referring to the nonprofit that connects unhoused people with the resources needed to find a home. What's next: Cantin said once the encampment is closed and cleaned, it will be staffed around the clock and signage will be posted to prevent new people from moving into the area.
San Francisco Chronicle
01-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s quest for a better trash can was plagued by high costs. Will this time be different?
San Francisco nearly gave up trying to replace its troublesome old public trash cans last year with sleek, custom-designed receptacles, amid questions over their cost. Now the effort has come back to life. In 2018, the city asked industrial design firms to create three prototypes, of which the 'Slim Silhouette' design won out, a sleek silver can with two circular openings, one for trash, the other for recycling. Gordon said the design has since been tweaked after a trial run of the cans last year. The Department of Public Works hopes to have the new cans on the street within a year, but maybe sooner, she said. The development is a step forward after uncertainty over the new trash cans' future. Last year, San Francisco's quest for a new modern trash can all but died. After spending more than half a million dollars on prototypes for a new bespoke disposal bin for the city, a lack of funding forced DPW to put its replacement project on hold. Gordon said DPW has been working to ensure that any chosen vendor can handle the mass production of about 3,000 cans while staying within the budget. That might be difficult in a city notorious for delays and cost overruns. The goal is to find a manufacturer to produce the order at $3,000 per can, which Gordon said is on par with sturdy off-the-shelf models. Once a manufacturer is selected and starts building the cans, Gordon said DPW plans to start a pilot program to set up a few new trash cans in certain parts of the city quickly while the department waits for the rest. 'We want to put out a limited number right away to test them, to see if they're working,' she said. 'Once we have contact with a manufacturer, we're hopeful it will fall within our planned budget.' The city is currently still using green cans from the 1990s, but they are plagued with issues and they often make street corners dirtier because of scavengers. The cans have been criticized for not working as intended, with non-trash items intermixing with garbage because of a faulty recycling compartment. The updated trash cans will include a strengthened locking mechanism and be built from materials that make it easier to remove graffiti and tags. In response to frequent concerns about people digging through city trash, the new models are also designed to be more secure. 'Harder to rummage through — all things we've heard for years,' Gordon said. Some residents have called on the city to simply purchase commercial Bigbelly trash cans, already used in some areas. But Gordon noted that community benefit districts have been pulling those out due to ongoing maintenance costs. But that's not all that has upset some residents and critics of the department. When DPW embarked on finding new cans, the city was criticized for its decision to design its own instead of buying an off-the-shelf model. For example, the new cans will have openings large enough for small pizza boxes to go through, but they are also tamper-proof and will be easier to clean and service. Later in 2021, the city revealed that the cost of each custom prototype ranges from $11,000 to $20,000, sparking public outcry and national headlines. The city emphasized that these were not the final production costs, but design and testing prototypes — a standard practice in product development. The idea of spending that much on new trash cans, even temporarily, became a political flashpoint and prompted then-Supervisor Matt Haney and others to call on the city to buy pre-existing models, but the department has decided to continue its project. The timeline remains fluid in terms of when the city will get its new trash cans. But city officials are optimistic. 'It's a very long contracting process, and we know we have to get in the queue with other procurements they're doing citywide,' she said. 'But once we have contact with a manufacturer, we're hopeful it will fall within our planned budget.'
Zawya
26-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Public Works Entities Must Create Income-Generating Initiatives and Not Rely on Government Funding
The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has called on entities within the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure portfolio to explore innovative solutions to improve their financial sustainability, rather than relying solely on the parent department for funding and bailouts. The committee today received a briefing from four public works entities on their 2025/26 annual performance plans and budget allocations. The entities include the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Agrément South Africa (ASA), the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), and the Council for the Built Environment (CBE). The committee expressed concerns over the absence of both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from the meeting. Members of the committee were not pleased with the Minister's backlog in oral and written questions. In addition, the committee also raised alarm over the continued lack of transparency regarding the costs associated with the Minister's overseas travel, which remain undisclosed. Regarding the IDT, the committee raised serious concerns about the entity's continued financial dependence on the department. Members of the committee questioned whether the entity has any concrete plans to improve its revenue-generating capacity and reduce its reliance on bailouts. The committee also urged the entity to promote inclusivity for categories of previously disadvantaged people, women, youth, and the people with disabilities. The committee further expressed concern over the high legal costs incurred by the IDT and recommended that the entity strengthens its internal capacity to mitigate litigation risks, especially during ongoing projects. The committee called on ASA to identify alternative revenue streams, as continued dependence on government funding is unsustainable. It criticised the weak transformation and job creation targets presented and called for bolder, measurable commitments. ASA's ICT systems were also flagged and the committee encouraged the entity to work collaboratively with departments such as Human Settlements to broaden its impact. T The committee further urged ASA to establish testing sites and laboratories to ensure compliance with technical standards, noting that current operations do not adequately support this function. Committee Chairperson, Ms Caril Phiri, expressed concern over irregularities in contractor grading by the CIDB. She highlighted reports of contractors receiving higher grades without completing corresponding project scopes and urged CIDB to address and dispel public perceptions that grading statuses are being bought. The committee also raised alarm over the CIDB's claim that contractors involved in the recent collapsed building in George were not registered with them, but rather with the National Home Builders Registration Council. The committee called for greater regulatory alignment and oversight between these entities, the national and provincial departments of human settlements, and all municipal councils to prevent such tragedies. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Providence Mayor Lombardi made ex-town employee work on his personal properties, lawsuit says
A former North Providence employee is suing Mayor Charles A. Lombardi Sr. and the head of public works, accusing them of making him do work at their residences during work hours, and of charging the construction materials to the town credit card. Michael Charbatji, who worked for the town from 2017 until he was fired in 2022, sued Lombardi and Department of Public Works Director James M. Fuoroli in Superior Court on June 10, alleging they violated the Whistleblowers' Act and retaliated against him after he refused to perform work on their personal properties during work hours. 'Based on my preliminary investigation, it is clear that the town has wrongfully discharged him and has unlawfully retaliated against him in violation of the Whistleblowers Protection Act, as well as other violations of Rhode Island and federal laws,' his lawyer, Lisa S. Holley, wrote to the town in December, putting officials on notice of Charbatji's intention to sue based on his wrongful termination. Charbatji is seeking compensation for back pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees and cost for the alleged unlawful employment practice and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He asks, too, for the court to declare his termination from employment a violation of Whistleblowers Protection Act and to get his job back. Holley declined to comment beyond saying 'the complaint speaks for itself.' Lombardi said he had been 'threatened' with the lawsuit for the past six months. 'I will comment on these accusations at the appropriate time,' he said. According to the lawsuit, Charbatji owned a successful private contracting company, Mike's Remodeling, LLC, providing contracting services to both residential and commercial customers. Lombardi told him that the town would be building a new school and asked him to come on board, adding that the town "offered good benefits" and he would "get lot of overtime." The mayor assured him he would be getting several raises that would be financially advantageous to him, the lawsuit claims. Lombardi owns several dry-cleaning businesses as "Luxury Cleaners," with locations in Lincoln and North Providence, as well as multiple houses, including a summer home in Narragansett. Charbatji was hired in 2017 and dissolved his private contracting company on April 11, 2018. Fuoroli was his supervisor and his job duties included providing general maintenance and repairs to town buildings," the lawsuit says. He intended to work for North Providence until he turned 75 so that he would be eligible for full retirement benefits. But Charbatji soon found himself performing work at the mayor's summer house at 10 Irving Path in Narragansett multiple times when he was supposed to be at work, as well as being asked to work at Lombardi's commercial businesses, residences and rental properties at the mayor and Fuoroli's direction. He also did work at Fuoroli's personal property located at 53 Kiley Street, North Providence, the lawsuit states. On many occasions, Charbatji was unable to make it back to the town to use the fingerprint scan to log out of the attendance program and Fuoroli would indicate on the computer-generated time record that he "forgot" to punch out. Fuoroli directed him to use his own personal vehicle when working on Lombardi's properties," according to the lawsuit. He would also provide the materials needed by purchasing supplies by using the town's Lowe's store credit card. On one occasion, while he was working on the Narragansett rental, he was approached by a North Providence firefighter, who was at a neighboring home, and called Fuoroli to tell him he was approached by the firefighter. He told Fuoroli he was uncomfortable performing personal repairs during work hours and was told to "be careful of him; he's rat." A second firefighter told him "Do you think you are the only one who knows you go to Narragansett to work on the mayor's property? Everyone knows and talks." Charbatji began experiencing severe stress about doing work on Lombardi's properties during work hours, according to the lawsuit. He became increasingly concerned that he was being directed by Lombardi and Fuoroli to do something wrong or potentially illegal. He worried, too, that he'd be fired if he refused. On one occasion, he purchased doors for the mayor's summer home and wasn't reimbursed. Fuoroli directed him and another employee, Romeo D'Andrea, to do various repairs at the home. Lombardi told him that he could not give him a raise, but if he needed money, he "would give him cash to work on his property in the back of Town Hall" and he would be paid overtime by the town. Charbatji informed Lombardi that he would no longer work on personal properties during work hours, that he was very uncomfortable. Lombardi got angry and said "If you tell anyone about this conversation, I will lie and deny, deny, deny that this conversation ever happened." Roger Achille, then the human resources director, asked him if he had done work on Lombardi's house behind town hall," the lawsuit says. He told Achille he wanted a meeting with Lombardi and Fuoroli and that he didn't want to meet with them alone because they were 'liars.' The day of the August 2022 meeting; however, Charbatji says he experienced chest pains due to stress and was taken to the emergency room at Miriam Hospital. His primary doctor referred him to Providence Behavioral Health due to the extreme stress he was experiencing. He received Temporary Disability Insurance until his benefits expired on Dec. 10, 2022. In September 2022, Achille advised Charbatji that he had exhausted his "paid leave and protected FMLA," and that he would be placing him on unpaid leave. Achille told Charbatji that such requests had to be approved by Lombardi, the lawsuit states. Achille told him he had to call Lombardi personally to request to remain out of work. Charbatji responded that he could not speak with Lombardi due to his mental health and stated, "he is the reason I am out on stress … [he] put me in this situation and put me in the hospital." On Nov. 18, 2022, Lombardi sent a North Providence Police officer to his home to deliver a letter terminating his employment, stating that as a pretext that he was on "unauthorized and unexcused leave." North Providence used the pretext of "unauthorized and unexcused leave" to wrongfully terminate Charbatji after he requested a meeting with Achille to advise him of the violations of law which he had been ordered to commit over the course of his employment, the complaint says. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lawsuit says NP Mayor Lombardi used town workers on personal properties
