My Belmont Heights

A proposal by the City to place large trash/recycling bins along the beaches has created concern on the part of many citizens. In addition to size, concern has been raised about using the bins for advertising; both the size and design of the bins have created questions about how appropriate they are for our city. I spoke with Councilman DeLong at a meeting last week and asked that he respond to questions raised at the last BHCA meeting.

Some concerns are as follows:

1. The City did not go through a competitive bid/RFP process for this contract -- why was this not done?
2. The contract proposed is for 5 years with the City able to buy out after 1 year at substantial cost if the bins don't work out. Is there not a more advantageous position the City could take in negotiating this contract? Many residents feel this leaves the City at financial risk at a time of budgetary constraints.
3. The company providing the service, Shoreline Media, is apparently a start-up Canadian company with no track record in this country for this type of installation. Is Long Beach ready to be a pilot project? If so, perhaps the company should shoulder all the risk if the service is unacceptable.
4. Apparently City staff will pick up regular trash with recyclables picked up by Shoreline Media. Have the potential legal issues of private trucks on city beaches and sidewalks been resolved?
5. The design and color of the containers leave much to be desired from an aesthetic point of view. Add to that the size and advertising photos etc and they will surely be an eyesore.
6. According to minutes from a Marine patrol meeting, a sergeant expressed concern that "large bins could pose a desirable windbreak for transients looking for a place to sleep and another large object for 'taggers' to draw on." We see this as a major concern.
7. Apparently the Peninsula residents have said they do not want trash bins of this size on their beaches and have therefore been able to "opt out". Based on comments in last week's Grunion Gazette, at least some residents justified this by saying their beaches were "too narrow". Beaches along Colorado Lagoon, Bayshore drive etc are no wider than the Peninsula. Why should they so easily be able to say "no thanks"