Karen Armstead, Contributing Writer Daily Californian, May 26, 1993

Neighbors to city: clean up! Sloppiness at city maintenance yard provokes local ire

The city of Berkeley has come under fire recently from neighbors of its maintenance yard who confronted city officials about cleaning up and organizing the facility.

Neighbors of city's corporation yard, at 1326 Allston Way, say that although Berkeley improved the yard after previous complaints, the facility still endangers and inconveniences the public.

Local resident L A Wood led about 20 community members on a tour of the yard Friday, citing fuel spills and inadequate waste disposal as potential hazards.

Wood said abuses such as those at corporation yard would not be tolerated in other areas of the city. "West Berkeley has historically been shortchanged," he said.

Public works officials must continually cooperate with neighbors to ensure that the public is not endangered or inconvenienced, Wood added.

While conducting the 45-minute tour, Wood pointed out numerous improvements in yard operations since he lead a tour of the site last year. He added he became concerned about poor waste disposal at the site while playing ball with his son. When he went into the yard to retrieve the bail, he found it covered with oil, Wood said.

The oil, which was previously kept in leaky, exposed 55-gallon drums, is now stored safely, he added. According to Wood, however, the city still has more to do.

Toni Horodysky, who lives near the yard, said she complained to the city 10 years ago about piles of fine construction sand left uncovered to blow in the wind. She said dust from the sand ended up in her house creating "a health hazard for all of us and for the employees," she said. She added that the city covered the mounds when she complained, but later started leaving the tarps off. During the Friday's tour, the sand remained uncovered.

Acting Public Works Director Vicki Elmer, who took the tour said in a later interview the mounds will be covered shortly.

Health and safety guidelines, however, are still not observed at the gasoline pumps for city vehicles. Wood claimed. He said a refueling truck recently slopped "enough gasoline to reach to the edge of the corporation yard." As the spill occurred early in the morning, yard officials were not present to contain it properly, he said.

"This is an extreme fire hazard if somebody walks by with a lit cigarette," said Wood, adding that holding tanks should only be refueled during working hours.

"We take spills very seriously," said Elmer, who oversees the yard. She assured Wood his concern was reasonable and could be easily remedied with little additional funding from the city. Wood said he would like to see greater "consolidation' in the yard before next year's tour. He said the cities' other yard, on Second Street, is underused.