Mayor Purzycki Announces a Beautiful City Initiative to Produce a Cleaner Wilmington

 Press release provided by The City of Wilmington, DE.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki said today that a clean City, one in which its main travel thoroughfares as well as its neighborhoods are free of trash and debris, is a City that cares about its image and its future. With that thought in mind, the Mayor today announced Wilmington’s new Beautiful City Initiative (BCI), which is a consistent, sustained effort by City government and the community to clean the City.
 
Mayor Purzycki said the City government will lead the way on this new mission by instituting, with the support and leadership of the employees of the Public Works Department, a beautification program that has not been attempted before in Wilmington. Purzycki said it’s important to create an aesthetically attractive City for citizens and visitors alike. The Mayor said a clean City means we respect our City. Mayor Purzycki offered his thanks today to AFSCME Local 320, the union to which most of the City Public Works employees belong, for their support of the Beautiful City Initiative.
 
“We are rolling out the Beautiful City Initiative in phases beginning now, and we’ll do more next spring after the weather warms,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Once we get into the groove of the government and community working together to keep Wilmington clean, I know this effort will become part of the norm as opposed to being something special. We all need to take pride in our homes, our blocks and our neighborhoods, because everyone appreciates a beautiful City.”
 
The elements of the Beautiful City Initiative include: 
Cleaning the City’s highly visible areas and well-traveled corridors or gateways. On many mornings, Public Works street cleaning staff are cleaning—by hand and machine—the City’s gateways in the early morning hours prior to the morning rush hour. The gateways that are being cleaned before sunrise are Lancaster Avenue, 4th Street, Maryland Avenue, Northeast Boulevard, Church Street, Vandever Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Concord Avenue and MLK Boulevard.

Deploying more hand cleaning crews on neighborhood streets as well as using the city’s water flusher trucks more often. Clean street crews are paying greater attention to areas needing work such as sidewalks, grass, trees and utilities.

Distributing new and free trash bins to approximately 19,500 residential properties throughout the City next spring and requiring that citizens use the new bins instead of placing trash in bags on the sidewalk. The Mayor said the new trash bins, which will be the same size as the City’s recycle bins, can be lifted and emptied mechanically into a trash truck as the recycle bins currently are, improving worker safety for City employees  and adding greater efficiency to the collection process.
 
Offering an education program to help citizens understand the proper disposal methods for trash and recycling. The education effort will also help citizens control the amount of trash they throw away versus the amount of material they recycle. Mayor Purzycki said we have to do a better job of recycling than we do today because it’s less costly and is better for the environment. Wilmington’s current curbside recycling rate is approximately 20% and the Mayor said he wants to raise it to at least 30%.
 
Improved landscaping design and maintenance for public areas such as MLK Boulevard, Northeast Boulevard at 12th Street, 11th Street between Spruce and Church Streets, Concord Avenue and Broom Street, South Market from A Street to Howard Street, D Street at Heald Street and the Delaware Avenue Streetscape.
 
Improving the process for removing dead or injured trees from public rights of way and in parks.
 
Replacing missing or worn street signage through a citywide visual inventory.
 
Repainting crosswalks and stop bars, as well as repainting fire hydrants.
 
Reviving Wilmington’s Adopt-A-Block program, which asks neighborhoods, businesses, organizations and individuals to adopt an area and then agree to clean debris from a block or series of blocks at least every month, weather permitting.
 
Reform the City’s current street sweeping program by exploring the idea of deploying street cleaning trucks in neighborhoods that are in regular need of cleaning versus cleaning only those areas where citizens have requested street cleaning, which is the City’s current practice. Purzycki said it makes more sense for Public Works to use its judgement to clean streets that need more frequent cleaning.
 
Reform the City’s current practice of providing three, free special trash pick-ups to residential properties annually and then charging just $25 for subsequent pick-ups. Mayor Purzycki said the current system is being abused by irresponsible property owners or tenants who dump large volumes of materials on a City street.  Wilmington averages around 9,000 special pick-ups a year, which drains the Public Works budget and pulls the City’s street cleaning crews away from their mission of keeping streets clean. Instead, The Mayor said he will announce a special pick-up reform plan in the near future so Public Works can concentrate on cleaning the City more efficiently.
 
The Mayor said the City will also continue to crack down on those who illegally dump materials on City streets and open areas by working closely with the Wilmington Police Department to identify and arrest perpetrators. 

Mayor Purzycki and Acting Public Works Commissioner Williams said the new Beautiful City Initiative is being implemented within current budget constraints through improved management of people and resources, more strategic deployment of staff, increased communication, sharing of equipment among divisions,  the use of overtime assignments for existing employees and the hiring a limited number of temporary employees.

City of Wilmington, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware Enter into a Public Policy Partnership

The pact pledges mutual assistance and cooperation on projects that will benefit Wilmington and its citizens as well as the universities. 

The City of Wilmington, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware today signed an unprecedented pact that pledges mutual cooperation and assistance on various projects to benefit Wilmington and the residents and businesses which inhabit Delaware’s largest City. The agreement will also provide university students and faculty with new opportunities to participate in applied and practical research and service leading to immediate improvements in the operations of City government.
 
The mutual support agreement was signed today in the Mayor’s office in Wilmington by Mayor Mike Purzycki, City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, Delaware State University President Harry Lee Williams and University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis.
 
The agreement includes a number of ways the City and the two universities can work together, including:

• Partnering on projects such as fellowships, internships, research projects, studies, and grant applications
• Assisting the City with data collection and analysis to improve government efficiency and service delivery
• Utilizing the wide variety of experts from numerous fields that are available at each university to work with the City on a specific project 
• Expanding the assignment of students as university fellows to the City for specific government projects which allow the students to gain real world government experience
• Establishing student internship opportunities which will teach young people about Wilmington’s government and foster affection and appreciation for Wilmington among those who will become the leaders of tomorrow.

“We began talking about the potential of this collaborative arrangement earlier this year and it just made sense to many of us that we should harness the talent and resources of these two wonderful universities to work hand-in-hand with the City,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We need to bring about greater government efficiencies and to improve Wilmington’s service delivery to citizens. We have to be more creative and open to new ways of conducting the business of government, and to learn how to operate the government with fewer dollars. The University of Delaware and Delaware State University will help us achieve many of our goals and well as theirs, which includes expanding the educational opportunities available to students.”
 
City Council President Hanifa Shabazz expressed support for the partnership by noting that City Council hosted one of the first Urban Policy Fellows from the University of Delaware, and has continued to work closely with graduate students over the past five years, engaging them in various legislative and policy projects. “If our past collaborations with the University of Delaware and Delaware State University are any indication, I am confident this partnership will bring tremendous value to Wilmington and its residents, businesses and visitors. Delaware is too small for its largest city not to collaborate with its two premier public research universities. I look forward to exploring the many ways we can work with these institutions and others in the future.”
 
UD President Dennis Assanis said the University is committed to partnering with the City and Delaware State University to help address Wilmington’s challenges and expand its opportunities. “The University of Delaware has a long and rich history of applying its knowledge and creativity to local communities across the state,” he said. “This expanded collaboration with Wilmington will bring together talented and dedicated people to develop and implement innovative ways to enhance the physical, social, economic and cultural vitality of the city and its neighborhoods.” Assanis said he is particularly pleased that this partnership will involve students from both universities who will work in the Wilmington city government under the guidance of city officials and university faculty and staff. “The students will add capacity to Wilmington city government and acquire the knowledge and practical experience needed to become future community leaders,” he said.
 
"I'm delighted that two natural partners like Delaware State University and University of Delaware will be working together on a continuous basis to tackle the economic and social challenges of Delaware's largest city,” said Delaware State University President Williams. “The strengths that each partner brings to the table are both complementary and necessary and we expect will be of significant value to the City of Wilmington as well as staff, faculty and students at both institutions."
 
Mayor Purzycki said while there will be a cost to the City for some of the collaborative efforts among the three entities, the agreement will save the City money in the long run. The Mayor said university resources will be available at less expense than what the City pays for contracting with private firms. He said the agreement has the potential to benefit the City and universities well into the future.

Explore the Future of Transportation!

TEDxWilmington, with support from AAA, is holding perhaps the first TEDxSalon in the world dedicated exclusively to exploring the future transportation on Tuesday, October 17th from 1-5 PM. 

The theme of this TEDxWilmington Salon is, “Who’s in the Driver’s Seat? The Transformation of Transportation.” 

Wilmington, Delaware is the perfect location for this event on transportation. In addition to being the home of AAA Mid-Atlantic’s headquarters, Delaware is where the world’s first divided highway was being constructed more than 100 years ago and the Delaware Department of Transportation is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

This event will enlighten, entertain, and inspire everyone from daily commuters to transportation engineers to car designers to software developers as we explore the many aspects of the future of transportation. 

This Salon will have two sessions and several speakers in each session.

Get your tickets! 

Wilmington is Becoming More Business Friendly: City Launches New 10-Day Sewer/Water Plans Review Process

News Release from The City of Wilmington:

Mayor Purzycki tosses out the City’s average 60-day review turnaround timeline; says this is the start of reforming the City’s permitting and inspection process.

Vowing to make the City more friendly and efficient for business development projects that help the City grow, Mayor Mike Purzycki and Acting Public Works Commissioner Kelly Williams today announced a new, expedited process for the review and approval of water and sewer development plans. The Mayor said the revised review process will mean the approval process will take approximately 10 days instead of the current 60 days or more. Purzycki and Williams stressed that the 10-day review will be just as thorough as the current process, just faster.

“City government has to operate more efficiently and quickly when it comes to reviewing development plans and issuing permits,” said Mayor Purzycki. “There are about two dozen or so larger-scale development projects that come to the City annually for review. When they come our way, it’s the City’s duty to review them thoroughly and then pass judgement. These projects can mean jobs and revenue for the City, so the last thing we should do it unnecessarily delay the review process.” Purzycki said City government should be assisting and guiding these projects to completion, not being a hindrance as has happened in the past. “We are beginning to change the mindset within government and are about to reform the entire permitting and inspections process to make it more efficient and fair to everyone including businesses and residents.”

Acting Public Works Commissioner Williams said the City has contracted with the Wilmington-based engineering firm of RK&K to perform engineering and environmental reviews whenever the City’s current review process, which is housed in the Public Works Department, becomes overloaded or backed-up on projects. The City will pay RK&K $50,000 annually to keep the plans review process on a 10-day turnaround schedule. The Mayor said the new review process is in place and ready to receive proposals.

Purzycki, who has an extensive business and development background, said many of the reforms he is planning for the permitting, inspections and plans review processes come from the frustration he and others experienced in dealing with the City in the past. “There is a more efficient way to handle plans reviews and other services we provide to citizens,” said the Mayor. “Most encouraging is that many of our own employees who do this work every day are helping us figure out how to do things better. That’s because they are being asked for their ideas and solutions and that can make a world of difference in any type of operation.”

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Big News for Wilmington! More Septa Trains Scheduled to and from Philadelphia!

Photo credit: CNN.com

Big news for commuters and those looking for nightly entertainment in Wilmington and Philadelphia! More trains are scheduled to connect the two cities! 

Wilmington now has additional round-trip SEPTA trains on weekday mornings and Saturday nights. The schedule change went into effect Sunday, September 10, and was first announced by SEPTA last week. The Mayor today thanked Governor Carney and DART Executive Director John Sisson for their efforts to improve our area’s public transit options.

"Better train connectivity is something our residents want, our small and big businesses want, and our visitors want,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Improving train service in Wilmington broadens access to opportunity for residents while potentially saving riders hours each day on their commutes and thousands of dollars each year in transportation costs.”

The weekday morning train leaves Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station at 8:09 a.m. and arrives in Wilmington at 9:02 a.m.; the return train leaves Wilmington at 9:50 a.m. and arrives at 30th Street Station at 10:38 a.m.  The Saturday night train leaves Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station at 10:32 p.m. and arrives in Wilmington at 11:17 p.m.; it leaves Wilmington at 11:34 p.m., arriving at 30th Street Station at 12:21 a.m.

In addition, an earlier weekday morning train from Wilmington to Philadelphia now has five fewer stops, cutting travel time from 51 to 45 minutes. This train now leaves Wilmington at 9:23 a.m. and arrives at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station at 10:08 a.m.

To view the upcoming schedule, click here.