President's Message

The year 2004 is going to be an exciting one for the District! Your sewage treatment plant, built in 1967, at the West end of Grant Avenue will undergo major renovation. Plans and specifications have been completed for this $26.5 million project, and by the time you read this message, the bid process will have begun. The project is expected to take three years to complete.

The District's garbage contract was extended and renewed in late 2003. The extension greatly improves and expands our garbage and recycling service, while at the same time, it saves our customers money by minimizing future rate increases. Among the benefits of the revised contract: All recycling goes into a single cart with no need to separate recyclable materials. (See page 3.) New, cleaner burning, compressed natural gas trucks automatically pick up recycling carts. And the popular, on-call bulky pickup program is expanded to two pickups a year. (See page 2.)

Change, however, is not without challenges, and some residents have expressed concerns about the need to place all their carts in the street. We value the input of our customers and we wish to make the transition to the new program as seamless as possible. Therefore, we still recommend that, for ease and uniformity, all carts be placed in the street. However, the recycling cart must be placed in the street. Because of the automated arm, which lifts the recycling cart, this cart must be placed in the street, with its wheels against the curb, and it must have a three-foot clearance on each side.

You may have received an insert in your garbage bill describing the new cart placement. While, as I have said, the garbage and green waste carts are not required to be placed in the street, please refer to the photo on page 1 for the correct placement of your recycling cart. If you have questions or concerns about your cart placement, call Waste Management at (510) 613-8710.

We recognize that there may still be some potential conflicts, including street parking and street sweeping. These are not insurmountable obstacles, and we trust that the conflicts will be addressed and resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Also, your Board is aware of a recent decline in the quality of customer service provided by Waste Management. We are actively working on finding solutions, so that excellence in service can quickly be restored in Oro Loma.

The Oro Loma Sanitary District Board is always interested in hearing from its customers. If you have any ideas, concerns, or comments, you can let us know by calling, writing, or attending our Board meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 3 pm.