FROM THE COMMISSIONER’S DESK…It is with a great sense of pleasure and pridethat I have returned to this great Department.While I was retired, I followed the Depart-ment’s operations—from a distance—regarding productivity, Scorecard, and snowfighting efforts and the work you all did afterthe terrible September 11th attack on ourCity.

I knew when the towers fell that theDepartment would be right in the middle ofthe rescue and clean up efforts. We were,and some of you are still working at it.You’ve done an outstanding job. Everyoneinvolved — from uniformed personnel to thecivilian support staff in all titles — can bevery proud of the work you did. I knowbecause I was proud of you.

As I look to the future of the Department, Iknow there will be some difficult timesahead, especially in view of the City’s cur-rent fiscal condition. I also know that wewill rise to the occasion and meet the chal-lenges of providing an essential service tothe citizens of this City. Mayor Bloomberghas confidence in us.

Vol. 1 No. 1

In the three years that I was gone, FreshKills closed leaving us with no city-runwaste disposal locations. We currently haveto rely on a short-term export plan of usingprivate transfer stations to dispose of morethan 11,000 tons of municipal waste eachday. Presently, we are working on animproved and permanent export system thatshould rely, to a great part, on our marinetransfer stations.

Street cleaning is also a very importantaspect of life in the City and it is somethingwe all must work at. A clean City is a safeCity. Remember when we are in the streetdoing our job we are very visible. What wedo — or don’t do — can either enhance ortarnish the reputation of the Department andall its members.

This newsletter marks the return of a useful‘voice’ for the Department. It will keep youinformed of things that we are pursuing, itwill quell rumors and most importantly, itwill be your newsletter. It will be for youand about you. I hope you will read everyissue and send in any ideas you may have toour Bureau of Public Information andCommunity Affairs in Room 714 at head-quarters. Thank you.

NEWSJune

We Were There At GroundZero Helping New YorkThe Department played a vital role in theup and restoration of the area surroundinWorld Trade Center, the financial districWall Street in the days and weeks follothe September 11th terrorist attack. It alsable to maintain normal cleaning, recyand trash collections above Canal StrManhattan and throughout the other fououghs.

The Department’s tremendous efforts beeven more dramatic when the main off125 Worth Street, a few short blocks froTwin Towers collapse, was left withoutmunications in the wake of the disasterDepartment temporarily relocated headters to the Central Repair Shop in Quethanks to the efforts of Deputy Commisfor Support Operations Jerry Della Corwhere staff and equipment for the Groundoperation were coordinated by First DCommissioner Peter Montalbano.

The Department’s two-pronged operatiovolved cleaning up the areas surrounding

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JOHN J. DOHERTY

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had been the Twin Towers, while providinguninterrupted cleaning and collectionschedules to the remainder of the City.

In lower Manhattan, 800 SanitationWorkers and supervisory personnelworked around the clock on rotat-ing 12-hour shifts — despite thefear and concern for further build-ing collapses — using hoses,flusher trucks, street sweepers,fuel trucks, refuse trucks, frontend loaders, hand brooms, andopen dump trucks to cleardebris. Wearing protectiveclothing (face masks, eye pro-tection, gloves) they hoseddown buildings, loaded debris,swept streets (manually andwith mechanical street sweep-ers) and flushed streets.

At Ground Zero, the Departmentprovided trucks and other heavyequipment to swiftly removeWTC debris during the initial res-cue and recovery phase. TheDepartment reopened two dormantmarine transfer stations from whichdebris was taken by barge and truck tothe closed Fresh Kills Landfill on StatenIsland. The landfill was reopened by theGovernor on an emergency basis to accept theWTC debris because it provided an excellentand secure area for investigators to spread outdebris to search for clues and evidence.

Ground Zero (continued)

Collector’s ItemsCongratulations to new members of Sanita-tion management team: Michael A. Bimonte,who came out of retirement to be Commis-sioner Doherty’s Chief of Staff; Benedict J.Cecere, a 38-year Department veteran promot-ed to Director of the Bureau of Cleaning andCollection; Vito A. Turso, who returns afteran 11-year absence to be DeputyCommissioner of the Bureau of PublicInformation and Community Affairs; HarrySzarpanski, the new Assistant Commissionerfor Long Term Export, and Philip J. Gleason,the new Assistant Commissioner for WasteManagement Engineering…Welcome tonewly appointed Department Chaplain, RabbiStuart I. Berman…. Best wishes to PeterScarlatos, president of Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, Local 831, who recentlyannounced his plans to retire. Pete plans toenjoy more time with his family. He’s earnedit! …Nice work by Officers and SanitationWorkers of Manhattan 8 who collected morethan $5,000 through various fund raisingevents and distributed proceeds to families ofFirefighters lost in the September 11th attacksand to Ronald McDonald House… Kudos toSanitation Worker Ercelle John, Manhattan 2,who represented the Department at the“Women Who Care” luncheon honoringwomen from the City’s uniformed agencieswho revived lower Manhattan in the aftermathof the World Trade Center tragedy.

sanitation newsis a publication of the Bureau of PublicInformation and Community Affairs, 125 Worth Street, Room 714

Vito A. TursoDeputy Commissioner

Contributors:Kathy Dawkins, Director, Public InformationAlfred Ferguson, Deputy Chief, Public InformationJohn Pampalone, Assistant Director, Public InformationPhotos by Alan Harris, John Pampalone,Mike CastellanoGraphics Assistance by Clifford Harvey,Richard Ariya

A GREAT DAY — Commissioner Doherty with Mayor Bloomberg, EmeraldSociety President Thomas Doyle, and others at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

TERRIFIC WORK — Deputy Commissioner Steve Lawitts joins (left to right)Commissioner Doherty, Roberta Martell, First Deputy Commissioner PeterMontalbano, and Deputy Commissioner Jerry Della Corte in congratulatingMs. Martell on exemplary dedication in coordinating the Department’s EmployeeSuggestion Awards Program for the last 31 years.

New York’sStrongest . . .

AndProudest.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The Department celebrated Women’s History Month by presenting certificates of recog-nition for outstanding contributions by female employees. Gayl Johnson (standing left) coordinated the event. The 25 Years ofService awards were given to Diana Arnold, Queens East; Rhonda Harper, BCC; Patricia Mah, Advocate’s Office; and BrendaSmith, Medical Office. Other awards went to Elizabeth Leeza Garcia, Bronx Boro; Barbara Robinson, Brooklyn North; YolandaAlayon, Queens Boro; Kathleen Hopkins, Bronx 6; Monik Love, Human Resources; Sandy McCaffrey, R.N., Medical Division,and Ernestine E. Roach, WEP.

GOOD SUGGESTIONS: Twelve employees were awarded cash or certificates as part of the Department’s recent 31st AnnualEmployee Suggestion Awards program. Employee’s recommendations have contributed cost savings and increased efficiency ofoperations. The awarded employees were Louis Rubino, Supervisor of Mechanics, BME; Roy Ingrassia, Sanitation Worker, BCC;Jimmy Brown, Blacksmith, BME (2 awards); George Iannone, Auto Mechanic, BME; Albert Yarusinsky, Auto Mechanic, BME;Nicholas Pavlides, Auto Machinist, BME; Nancy Cruz, Research Assistant, Human Resources; Thomas Doyle, GeneralSuperintendent 1, BCC; Anthony Monte, Auto Mechanic, BME; Thomas Fitzgerald, Supervisor, BCC, and Richard Franco,Supervisor of Mechanics, BME.