Expect cleaner sidewalks and enhanced security services in the city of West Hollywood, but all the Goo Gone it will take to remove those nasty black specks of gum will come with a price to anyone who scores a parking meter spot along Santa Monica Boulevard.
The West Hollywood city council approved a plan to increase WeHo parking meter fees. This is part of the City’s proposed fiscal year 2018-2019 fee resolution. Funding from these fees will be used to implement an enhanced sidewalk cleaning and security services program for commercial areas within the city limits.
Effective July 1, 2018, parking meter rates will be raised to $2 per hour, from their current rate of $1.50 per hour. Enhanced Sidewalk Cleaning and Security Services programs will be implemented in phases between July 1, 2018 and September 1, 2018. The additional cost of the enhanced security and cleaning efforts is approximately $1.8 million annually, the majority of which will be covered by parking meter fees.
The Sidewalk Cleaning program will utilize a cleaning process that removes deep stains, grime, and gum and uses specialized equipment with a deep-penetrating concrete sealer, which gets applied to provide a uniform sidewalk surface. The environmentally friendly process allows for the capture, filtering, and reuse of water to minimize waste. The process was successfully tested in a pilot program, launched in 2017, that focused on four test site locations on the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard (at San Vicente Boulevard, at Fairfax Avenue, and at La Brea Avenue) and on the north side of Sunset Boulevard at Hammond Street. The enhanced program will expand the process to sidewalks in commercial areas in locations throughout the City and areas heavily impacted by pedestrian traffic will be cleaned on a weekly basis.
Security Services enhancements will include augmenting current services being delivered by Block by Block security ambassadors who assist in public safety. Law enforcement services are provided in the City of West Hollywood by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. Block by Block security ambassadors are contracted by the City to assist in identifying and addressing a wide variety of quality-of-life issues. The highly recognizable Block by Block bike patrol teams collaborate with local businesses, residents, and visitors to promote neighborhood livability and provide friendly customer service while out on the streets in West Hollywood. There will also be an expansion of PacWest security in West Hollywood Park and Plummer Park.
There will also be added services for after-hours nighttime clean-up services in heavily impacted areas of the City. These areas include the Sunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard entertainment areas. There will also be an expansion of daytime trash and litter pick by hand crews as well as shopping cart removal services.
To learn more, visit weho.org.
