Project Description
The Porterville Developmental Center, a facility of California's
Department of Development Services, currently operates a newspaper reuse
program in conjunction with the City of Porterville. Additionally, the
Developmental Center operates two vocational education workshops which
"rescue" discarded furniture, etc. from the facility, and train their clients to refurbish
and redistribute the materials for client and
staff use. Additional roll-off bins for newspaper collection, a freestanding aluminum cover to protect the bins of paper from
inclement weather, and paper "joggers" to facilitate the packaging of
the end-product were purchased. Additionally, numerous tools, which the
workshop's current budgets are unable to accommodate, were procured for the
furniture reuse program.
The City of Porterville has been under a hiring freeze since late 2002.
Due to the freeze, several positions remain unfilled in the Field Services
Division, which continues to require redistribution of job responsibilities
has has affected grant
progress. All necessary purchases have been completed and the equipment has
been placed in service. Due to delays in purchasing equipment, staff have
not had sufficient time to complete some of the public education components
of the grant before the end of the grant term.
The steps required to accomplish their project are as follows:
Task 1: Secure Contract with Porterville Developmental Center.
Staff has completed an agreement with Porterville Developmental Center (PDC)
regarding the Reuse Programs supported by the grant and has transferred
ownership of the equipment purchased to the Developmental Center. Task 1 is 100 percent complete.
Task 2: Compile Information on Baseline Quantification of Existing
Programs.
Staff from PDC have provided basic tonnage estimates on the input and output
of current programs. Task 2 is 100 percent complete.
Task 3: Provide Feedstocks to Newspaper Reuse Program.
City staff provide a 15-yard roll-off bin with mixed paper from the City's
drop-off center on a routine basis. This task was ongoing throughout the
grant program and is continuing after completion of the grant period. Task 3 is
100 percent complete.
Task 4: Obtain Discarded Furnishings, Refurbish, Return to Use.
PDC staff routinely obtain discarded furniture from on-site refuse bins and
other sources. This task was ongoing throughout the grant program and is
continuing after completion of the grant period. Task 4 is 100 percent complete.
Task 5: Separate, Sort, Align, Package, Sell Ised Newspaper.
Due to the ongoing nature of the program, PDC staff coordinate and supervise
client crews to provide processing of the used newspaper. The client crews
currently average approximately 300 hours per week of processing time. Task 5 is
100 percent complete.
Task 6: Coordinate Final List of Hand and Power Tools for Wood and
Upholstery Workshops.
A final list of hand and power tools was completed and submitted to the
City. Task 6 is 100 percent complete.
Task 7: Develop Promotional Articles and Pictures for the City Newsletter.
Due to the delay in purchasing equipment for the program, City staff felt it
appropriate to postpone a newsletter article until receipt and installation of
the new equipment. The City's newsletter is produced quarterly; however,
newsletter content is determined several months in advance. Although the grant
period has ended, an article on this
program is still scheduled to be included in the next available issue. Task 7 is
15 percent complete.
Task 8: Include Program Expansion Information in Developmental Center
Newsletter.
PDC staff have requested their newsletter publication coincide with the
City's publicity efforts. As a result, it is anticipated an article on program
expansion will be included in a corresponding issue of the Developmental
Center's internal newsletter. Task 8 is 15 percent complete.
Task 9: Purchase Paper Joggers.
Four heavy duty paper joggers have been purchased by the City and received
by the Developmental Center. Developmental Center staff indicate the paper
joggers have been in use since mid-January 2004. Task 9 is 100 percent complete.
Task 10: Purchase Aluminum Cover for Bins.
A double-wide cover was received and
installed at PDC and two single-wide aluminum covers were purchased and installed at the
City's Corporation yard to protect the paper from weather damage, including rain
and excessive sunlight. Task 10 is 100 percent complete.
Task 11: Purchase
Hand and Power Tools for Workshops.
All tools on the revised request list (submitted with the previous report)
have been purchased, received by the City, and accepted by the Developmental
Center. Task 11 is 100 percent complete.
Task 12: Purchase Roll-Off Bins.
City staff were able to purchase the required roll-off bins under an
existing City contract for refuse bins, significantly reducing the steps
required to issue a purchase order. Two 15 cubic yard bins were received by the City on
June 25, 2003. Task 12 is 100 percent complete.
Task 13: Coordinate Additional Client Crews to Increase Newspaper Reuse
Program.
To accommodate staffing adjustments and budget constraints, client crew size
has been increased rather than adding additional client crews. Client crews are
currently operating at their maximum level and output continues to increase. Task 13 is
100 percent complete.
Task 14: Purchase Utility Carts and Supplies for Additional Newspaper
Crews.
PDC staff have purchased approximately 30 utility carts for use by the
newspaper program during the grant term. Task 14 is 100 percent complete.
Task 15: Promote Program Expansion Through Media Campaign.
As previously reported, receipt of the Reuse Assistance Grant was covered in
the local newspaper, The Porterville Recorder. Due to project
delays, it has not been appropriate to contact the newspaper for additional
coverage at this point. However, newspaper articles are planned to report
successful completion of this grant. Task 15 is 33 percent complete.
Tasks 16, and 16.2: Track Newspaper Tonnages Processed and Sold, and
Materials Refurbished and Returned to Use and Report to City Staff.
PDC staff currently track estimated weights of materials processed. At this
point, a minimum of three tons of mixed paper from the City's drop-off recycling
center is processed by PDC's newspaper crews per month. Of this amount,
approximately 50 percent is recoverable newsprint that is then processed for
resale and the other 50 percent is processed for recycling. The wood and
upholstery workshops average over four tons of materials recovered per month,
including over 20 chairs and five couches that are refurbished and returned to
use at the facility. PDC staff will continue to compile tonnage amounts and
supply this information to the City as part of the ongoing cooperative project. Tasks 16 and 16.2 are
100 percent complete.
Task 17: Evaluate Program Progress and Additional Needs/Outreach.
As indicated earlier, program progress has been delayed due to staffing
issues. The addition of the roll-off bins and the covers have substantially
increased the amount of usable material that is recovered for the paper program.
Staff will continue to monitor the wood and upholstery workshop programs to
determine the additional benefits provided by the newly purchased equipment.
Although the grant period has ended, staff for both the City and the
Developmental Center continue to work together to expand the reuse programs and
ensure they run as efficiently and effectively as possible. As stated in Tasks
7, 8, and 15, the City will continue to promote the benefits received from the
grant and the programs it supports in several media outlets. Copies of further
media coverage will be forwarded to the Grant Administrator as available. Task 17 is
85 percent complete.
*Permission was obtained from grant recipient to publish project profile.
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