Weed Abatement
This week Public Works got a jump start on our annual weed abatement throughout town. The tremendous amount of rainfall we received this winter/spring has made this a much larger task than it normally is. Crews worked on clearing weeds & vegetation at our 206 E. Whittley property, Buena Vista Point, and Bonita Way Stairs. We will continue to work on weed abatement on other areas of town over the next couple weeks. A second trimming will likely need to be done to all areas later in May before the June 1st deadline enforced by LA County Fire Department.
Cemetery Work
Crews performed landscaping work and other tasks at the cemetery several days this week to prepare for what should be a very well attended funeral service for Richard Saldana. As with our weed abatement, all the rain we experienced has increased our workload at the cemetery tremendously. Continuous mowing & weed trimming has been needed to ensure the cemetery is looking respectful for its visitors. Crews also then had to setup for the funeral service. This included the setup of chairs, tents, and a sound system, which then had to be broken down & put away after the service. Fortunately all of our efforts did not go unnoticed as we received several compliments regarding the cemetery.
Banner Pulley System Installation
As you know, Public Works is often asked to help perform tasks for other departments. This week we were asked by Community Services to help install new banner pulley systems throughout the waterfront areas. Victor Cazares is one of our more skilled heavy equipment operators, so we had him operate the telehandler to lift Community Services workers in the man basket. This allowed them to safely remove the old pulley systems, and install the new ones. The new pulley systems will make it easier to install the banners, and ensure they stay in place once positioned.
Harbor Float Maintenance
Harbor Maintenance crews were required to focus on installing the new pumpout dock & float most of this winter/spring, which took them away from their normal duties of pulling & repairing the harbor floats. Over the next month crews will be focused on catching up on servicing our floats. Floats will be pulled out individually with the use of our Mole crane. Servicing includes thoroughly cleaning the floats with the use of a pressure washer, hardware replacement, deck replacement, and other wood replacement. They are then placed back into the harbor. This annual servicing of our floats helps ensure they function well for our boaters, and extends their useful life.
CHP Bus Inspection
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) made their annual visit to the island to inspect the City buses. Our mechanics Louis Rubio & Tino Florentino worked with Transportation Concepts to ensure all of the servicing & inspection paperwork was in proper order. Any issues with the buses or paperwork could potentially cause CHP to not allow us to operate our buses, which are vital to our visitors. Fortunately all of their efforts paid off as everything passed inspection, and our buses are in good working order.