Imperial County has much going for it.
Winters here are a refuge for those escaping cold weather elsewhere, from snowbirds in their RV caravans to birds of a different feather that utilize the county’s wetlands. The Navy’s Blue Angels have been practicing in our desert for decades, honing the precision that makes them among the top pilots in our nation’s military. The county is a growing factor in the world of renewable energy, from the geothermal plants that have been harnessing energy from deep below the Earth’s surface to the solar and wind farms sprouting up across the landscape.
But this area also draws criticism that ranges from the summertime temperatures that can top out in the 120s to the trash that litters our parking lots, our highways, our sand dunes.
While little can be done to make the heat go away, plenty can be done about the trash.
Civic groups such as El Centro Rotary schedule cleanup days to alleviate the problem in the city, and United Desert Gateway arranges trash pickup days in the sand dunes after crowds have left.
Until state budget woes slashed the use of state prison inmates, cities benefited from that workforce in city parks and facilities.
Now a new effort has emerged, thanks to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office and the Public Works Department.
Since Feb. 19, low-level inmates from the Imperial County jail already have removed about 141 5-gallon bags of litter from well-traveled Evan Hewes Highway, and have been cleaning up at the Calexico, Holtville, Ocotillo and Imperial landfills. The inmates travel to and from the cleanup sites in a van proved by Public Works, which is also funding a position for the Sheriff’s Office to oversee the work crews.
A second inmate work crew is expected to be formed with funds from Assembly Bill 109, with the Sheriff’s Office partnering with the county’s Probation Department to staff that crew.
In a time of continued economic difficulties and budget restraints that have cut services, the county has come up with a win-win solution to an ongoing problem.
THE ISSUE:
County inmates are cleaning up.
WE SAY:
This is an innovation solution in tough economic times.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
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