Mayor Tom Arcnenaux's Block by Block Initiative wrapped up last Saturday. On Tuesday the City received a Community Improvement Award from the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Initiative including a $500 check. The mayor, the city attorney, and the property standards director traveled to Baton Rouge for the presentation.
The "success" was to clean up 11 neighborhoods at a substantial cost of personnel and equipment that is not known. How long this "success" can be enjoyed is a big unknown.
Here are hard questions to be answered:
Number 1: Starting with the first Block by Block neighborhood, how much new debris and used tires have been deposed of in the same neighborhood, and by whom? In other words, are these neighborhoods in the same "clean" condition now as on the final day of that neighborhood's Block by Block effort.
Number 2: What steps can/will be taken to discourage future debris/tire dumping? Bulk pickups of "stuff" are made by Shreveport's Public Works Department although this program is not well publicized and is probably underfunded.
Number 3: What actions can be taken to regulate local tire retailers to ensure that tires are properly recycled versus illegally dumped? By state law, new tire sales carry a mandatory fee to be collected by tire retailers for recycling that is often retained and not spent on recycling.
Number 4: How effective can the understaffed Shreveport Police Department along with any assistance from the Shreveport City Marshal, the Caddo Sheriff, other law enforcement agencies be in enforcing existing laws and ordinances within the city limits that prohibit illegal littering and dumping? In other words, how high of a priority can be realistically expected from law enforcement on this issue.
Much like littering from vehicles, many residents have an ingrained culture that does not condemn, much less discourage, the dumping of "stuff" on vacant lots at vacant houses/buildings, streets and public rights of way. There are no easy solutions but the Block by Block Initiative was certainly a good start.