Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Utilities, Office of the Mayor: Brighten B-Town

The Challenge:

The routine maintenance of Bloomington’s streets falls to the City of Bloomington’s Department of Public Works, but the upkeep and maintenance of infrastructure in the downtown area involve Utilities and Parks and Recreation Departments, as well. As such, the department Directors, under the leadership of the Deputy Mayor, sought a way to collaborate and coordinate their shared responsibility for municipal services in a way that would methodically integrate their efforts and expertise to create a more targeted impact regarding infrastructure upkeep and maintenance services. However, challenges involving scheduling, resource management, conditions on the ground such as weather delays, and the sheer volume of necessary projects, were all issues that needed to be managed.

The Idea:

In response to these needs and challenges, Mayor Hamilton launched an initiative in April 2019 in the form of a coordinated and collaborative approach to targeted municipal infrastructure maintenance and service delivery in the downtown and core city neighborhoods: Brighten B-Town. The Brighten B-Town initiative aimed to address the delivery of the following municipal services by more than 20 employees across three departments:  

• Planting trees, shrubs, and perennials
• Pruning limbs and removing dead or dying trees
• Weeding, mulching, removing invasive species, and other landscaping maintenance
• Painting fire hydrants
• Painting curbs with parking indications

  

   

• Cleaning inlets, culverts, and ditches
• Marking storm drains with environmental messaging  
• Sweeping streets
• Power washing sidewalks, walls, and other surfaces
• Removing graffiti
• Cleaning up and activating alleyways

Ten city zones were identified for the 2019 pilot of Brighten B-Town, with efforts beginning in an area bounded by Indiana Avenue and Rogers Street, and Second and Tenth Streets. Remaining in constant contact with each other, staff from the participating departments communicated their efforts within each zone so that services were delivered in an efficient and more coordinated approach before crews moved on to the next zone.  

In May 2019, just one month into the pilot program’s kickoff, the following accomplishments were achieved:

• 7,562 pounds of debris removed from streets
• 94 fire hydrants painted, and all hydrants flushed  
• 537 stormwater inlets cleaned
• 4,666 linear feet of curb have painted 
• 92 truckloads of mulch spread
• 12 trees planted

For a comprehensive look at the achievements and progress of Brighten B-town since April 2019, check out the B-Clear website data portal: https://bloomington.data.socrata.com/Maps/Brighten-B-Town-Progress-Data/x34x-iyyi

The Cost

The Public Works Department -Street Division - allocated nearly $20,000 in labor and materials cost towards Brighten B-Town in 2019. Also in 2019, The Public Works Department - Facilities Maintenance Division - spent roughly $33,000 in labor, tools, protective equipment, fuel, paint, chemicals, and supplies. The three departments of Public Works, Parks, and Utilities dedicated significant time and effort to brighten Bloomington, achieving more together, and more quickly, than if they had completed the work individually.  

The Benefit:

The “Brighten B-town” initiative was a partnership among three City departments -- Parks and Recreation, Utilities, and Public Works -- representing a methodical, internally-coordinated, and geographically-targeted delivery of upkeep and maintenance services designed for greater efficiency and more visible results. Spanning services the City regularly delivers over the course of the year -- including landscaping, painting, pruning, and street-cleaning -- the program established a targeted order for simultaneous delivery of those services to specified City zones so that each zone would receive comprehensive attention within a discrete period. JD Boruff, Public Works Facilities Maintenance Director, expertly managed crews on the ground and responded to daily operation taskings. JD led the strong working relationships between the departments and shared sense of mission which allowed Brighten B-town to be a success. These three City departments continue to work together as a team on many current projects and initiatives, but the Brighten B-Town project is now managed by the Department of Public Works. Mayor John Hamilton said of the program: “With all hands on deck in one zone at a time, we’re working smarter to keep Bloomington looking its best...I’m grateful to City staff for finding innovative ways to deliver basic municipal services.” 

Metadata

City Department(s): Public Works, Utilities, Parks and Recreation, Office of the Mayor 

City Point of Contact: JD Boruff

Partner(s): N/A

Partner(s) Point(s) of Contact: N/A

Type of Innovation: Equipment/Mechanical, Process Improvement 

Date Implemented: 2019