Thank you, Mr. President. I saw Miss Fischer this morning when we came in together, both of us rushing from other meetings. And, certainly, she gave an excellent presentation, and it is obvious that she is committed to this program and it is really something that we need. So let me thank you again, Miss Fischer, and say that we hear you and that certainly I'm committed to doing whatever we can.
My testimony is short. I'm here in part to testify about recycling, and there 1886 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET are others here about recycling, so I'd like to suggest that perhaps --
Well, I -- as a matter of fact, I have Susan Gobretski on recycling and Bob Pierson on recycling. Are those folks here? Why don't you come up.
That's all the recycling people. Is there anybody here for something else that we could recycle into recycling? (Laughter.)
Okay, my name is Claudia Crane. I live at 2335 Pratt Street, in Philadelphia. I'm here to testify on the City's -- on recycling in the City and also on the City's plan for Chestnut Street. First of all, I'd like to express my appreciation for this Saturday opportunity for public testimony. When it is time for the school 1887 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET budget hearings, it's important that Saturdays be set aside for that as well, and I think that that's been done in the past so that working people can participate. So, as I said, I'm speaking on two subjects today: The Recycling Office and the City's plan for Chestnut Street. The first has to do with the operating budget; the second has to do with the capital budget. While I know, having learned this late yesterday, that the hearing is supposed to only be about the operating budget, I am taking advantage of this opportunity because I may not be able to get to another hearing. Also, the Recycling Office and the City's plan for Chestnut Street have at least one thing in common: they are both under the administration of the Streets Department, and they are both subjects that I care very much about. I have been a leader in community recycling and am a mayoral appointee to both the Recycling Advisory Committee and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. I have also taken an interest in 1888 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET Chestnut Street because I believe it to be a magnet, a destination, a place where people really want to be. You've already heard testimony about the hundreds of thousands dollars-plus. I think my latest information shows that it's about $400,000 in State recycling grants that the City has already lost or might lose. And it is my understanding that the responsibility of this loss resides not with the Recycling Officer, per say, but with the Streets Department for failing to follow up on those grants. And given that lack of support, it is really hard for me not to conclude that the Streets Department would prefer to see recycling in this City simply fade away and die. If these grants had been realized, perhaps we would be seeing an increase in participation in recycling tonnages, not the decline that you've all already heard about. Here's what I suggest: that City Council demand that the next Recycling Coordinator report personally to Council and to the Mayor 1889 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET whenever any recycling grant money appears to be in jeopardy, as well as any other impediments to carrying out the recycling program. City Council and the Mayor must sanction or give Recycling Coordinator the authority to sanction those who stand in the way. Perhaps the Recycling Coordinator should again report directly to the Managing Director, as the Recycling Coordinator used to, instead of to a Deputy Commissioner, as the Streets Department would have it. Now Chestnut Street. The City's plan for Chestnut Street calls for widening of the street, narrowing of the sidewalks, and bringing back parking and auto traffic all day long. " It would be more accurate to call it "the plan of the Streets Department and the Center City District," who, near as I can tell, have been the once pushing for this. There has been virtually no opportunity for public input into the plan for this most important street, so I'm very grateful to hear 1890 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET today from Councilwoman Fernandez that there will be now an opportunity for a public forum on this subject. 5 million said to be needed to complete the project is coming from is rather than uncertain. It is important to note that this Congressional earmark, with City match, is not wedded to the City plan as it exists now. This money can be used to fund an alternative plan, one that results from a truly public process.
The place for that to happen should be right -- you know, right here in City Council or, you know, with City Council's caucus or something like that, as Councilwoman Fernandez has suggested. I have several complaints about the 1891 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET City's plan for Chestnut Street, which I hope I will have a chance to elaborate on at a public forum. Number one, the City's plan brings increased auto traffic, pollution and noise, and it relies heavily on law enforcement. A shared bus/bike lane, as called for in the plan, is unpleasant, noxious, and unsafe for bicyclists. It doesn't do anything to attract pedestrians. And the narrowed sidewalk, as called for, and continued presence of bus fumes discourages business from operating warm-weather sidewalk cafes. And it contradicts the National Park Plan, which calls for closing Chestnut to traffic at Independence Mall. And, lastly, it kills 20-year old trees. And I'd like to note again that, as has been noted by a couple of other people already, that Center City District counts -- their counts show that Chestnut Street, despite its present flaws, now has more people on it than Walnut Street. Chestnut Street, as it is now, is unpleasant; behemoth, diesely (sic) buses lumber 1892 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET down; delivery trucks are allowed to sit there all day; and the brickwork is crumbling. I would like to see a plan that reroutes buses onto Market, that keeps the sidewalks wide, and prohibits vehicular traffic in the middle of the day. A trolley would be nice, although I personally don't believe necessary to the street. What is necessary is a commercial street that is attractive to pedestrians, and a shopping district where people would want to stroll, relax, meet friends, eat lunch away from the unpleasantness of bus fumes and traffic. Chestnut Street really can be such a place, but not if the City's plan, as it exists now, is adhered to. My voice is just one of many that should be heard before any plan is set in stone, and I really look forward to a hearing specifically on Chestnut Street. Thank you very much.
Councilwoman Fernandez, did you want to comment now or wait until after these -- 1893 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET
She wishes to wait. - - - (Susan Gobretski comes forward.)
My name is Susan Gobretski. I live at 943 South Sixth Street. Good afternoon, President Street and Members of City Council. I'm a program organizer with the Clean Water Action, located on Walnut Street, here in Philadelphia. Clean Water Action's a grass-roots organization working for better environmental laws and policies protecting the health and quality of life. We also conduct a door-to-door educational and outreach organizing campaign. We're here today to share our concerns for Philadelphia's Recycling Program. We believe the program is in jeopardy, confirmed by the absence of any commitment to its expansion by Commissioner's Moy this past Tuesday. According to the Commissioner's testimony in his response to questions from City 1894 BILL NO. 5 percent of our waste, years after recycling has 4 become mandatory. 5 The total tonnage for recycling has 6 fallen to a level lower than that collected in 7 1995. According to the Commissioner, that's 8 because of falling paper prices and people buying 9 more plastic. The tonnage goals for Fiscal Year 10 1997 was 7,000 tons lower, again, according to the Commissioner, because of bad weather and scavengers. Commercial education and the enforcement program consists of three sweep officers, a Web page, and articles in business journals. Apparently, between 200,000 and potentially as much as $1 million in State grant funds has been lost. The plan to address this is only a pilot -- a, quote, pilot for weekly collection, unquote, with no funds allocated to expand the program in the coming fiscal year. And we are currently without a Recycling Coordinator, for which there will be a local search. The Recycling Advisory Committee 1895 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET would be informed about the search. Only due to questioning from Councilman Cohen did we learn that someone's supposed to be picked by April. I'd like to address some of these issues. First, there is no excuse for a recycling rate of 6-1/2 percent. The Commissioner's assertion that the reasons for lower recycling rates were falling paper prices, bad weather, and scavengers is strange. The price of paper simply does not affect how many people put their paper out at the curb. And while plastic has displaced some paper, glass, and metal for packaging uses, and this does affect recycling rates, Philadelphia recycling rates could triple based on the materials we recycle now before that were to even become an issue. As for weather and the scavengers, last winter was pretty mild. And to lay the blame for the shortcomings of a major City program at the feet of scavengers is absurd. In fact, low participation comes from confusion about the program's operation and 1896 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET schedule, and a failure to educate and properly promote the program. According to members of the RAC, Al Dezzi, presented a comprehensive education and promotion plan over a year ago in conjunction with going to weekly collection. Why wasn't this plan considered and implemented and how much more might we have collected? The truth of the matter is, the best program is going to weekly recycling collections on the same day as trash day. According to studies done by the Recycling Office, a weekly recycling collection program would more than double citizen participation and would likely increase the recycling rate to more than 17 percent. 18 It would also result in a lower 19 collection cost per ton of materials and give us 20 the opportunity to restructure trash collections, lowering the cost of the whole collection system. So why aren't we doing this? When asked by Councilwoman Fernandez what he was doing to increase the recycling rate, all the Commissioner would say is that he has 1897 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET plans for a pilot for weekly collection. However, he has no plans to budget for weekly collection. No reason given.
The City's mandatory Recycling Act set a goal of 50 percent to be met by 1991, the Statewide goal set in 1988 was percent by 1997, 8 and we aren't even close. 9 The City's Solid Waste Management Plan, 10 formulated under the leadership of the late 11 William Donaldson and adopted by City Council in 12 1990, set a goal for 40 percent by the year 2000. 13 Can we reach this goal? 14 It's unclear. But without going 15 weekly, it will be impossible. So we would like 16 to ask for the following: 17 Number one, that the budget for Streets 18 must include an allocation to expand recycling to 19 a weekly collection, period. 20 Money alone is not enough. Require the 21 Streets Department to submit a plan showing how 22 weekly collection will be accomplished, how the 23 money will be spent, what would be done to expand 24 the program, and a schedule for when it will 25 happen. If it will take more than a year, then 1898 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET the budget should be presented as well. The best model for this plan was the June 1992 document response to the State of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resource's Consent Order and Agreement on Citywide Implementation for Curbside Recycling Collection. ) But the money and plan are also not enough. The former coordinator, Al Dezzi, held the position of Deputy Commissioner and lacked the authority to implement a single major program. We need a real recycling advocate and expert to achieve a successful, economically-productive recycling program, and that person needs the position and the authority to get the job done. In 1987, City Council took the leadership in passing the first urban mandatory recycling law in the country, adopting 1251-A, with a vote of 13 to 1; and by doing so, ushered in what was one of the best programs in the country. We need you to do it again. We urge you to once again provide the leadership. Insist on weekly collection, a well-developed plan, and 1899 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET an independent recycling expert at the helm of the program, with the authority to run it right. Philadelphia's a beautiful city. I bought a house here about a year ago. It has an eye on the future. Recycling will make that future economically stronger and cleaner. Thank you.
Yes, thank you. My name is Bob Pierson. I live on the 300 block of Gaskill Street. I'm a member of the Recycling Advisory Committee, and I've been a member of the Recycling Advisory Committee since its inception in 1987, and I served as its Chair from 1992 through 1994. The Recycling Advisory Committee is appointed by the Mayor and is charged by Bill 22 1251-A with formulating policy and regulations for the Philadelphia Recycling Program. The RAC prepared the basic blueprint for the program in 1987 and drafted regulations 1900 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET for both the City-collected premises and the commercial sector. And these regulations were adopted and form the basis for collection of recyclables from households and businesses in the City. RAC members have contributed hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteer hours over many years to bring this program into effect. After the Streets Department incorporated the recycling program into the Department in the early nineties, the RAC recognized the need for a formal planning process for program expansion. In 1994, the RAC passed the Resolution for Strategic Planning for Recycling. And I'll submit this and attach it to my testimony. It was approved by the Interagency Task Force on August 8th of '94. The resolution, as approved, has the weight of City policy to Bill 20 1251-A. The purpose of the RAC resolution was to require the Streets Department to prepare a plan that would achieve the 40 percent recycling goal of the City's Solid Waste Management Plan. The resolution required that -- and I'm 1901 BILL NO. " The RAC wanted to see in every budget cycle what program elements from the Recycling Program would be funded in the effort of the City to reach its recycling goals. And I think that's a very important point, that that plan should be linked to -- the program elements should be linked to budget so that everyone could see in November and December, going into the budgeting process for the next year, what the program elements that were going to be funded by how much and how much that goes toward reaching the goals that we have. This plan was never released. The Streets Department missed the resolution's deadline of November 15, 1994. The Department hired a consultant to assist it with the plan and prepare a schedule for its completion by the end of the calendar year '95, in time for the Fiscal Year '96 budgeting process. The Department did not meet this 1902 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET deadline, either. In fact, nearly four years have gone by, and there's still no plan for recycling, a plan that ties specific program elements to a schedule for implementation; and, most importantly, to the budgeting process of the City. As a result of the Department's failure to prepare a strategic plan for recycling, the Recycling Program has no road map to reach the 40 percent recycling goal by the year 2000 that was established in the City's Solid Waste Management Plan that was prepared by the Department; nor to reach the 50 percent goal set by City Council back in '87. Without a strategic plan, the Department has failed and will continue to fail to meet the City's recycling goals. I cannot tell you the collective disappoint of the many volunteers from industry, from commerce, and from just general citizens who have come to endless meetings over the last ten years. We have struggled so hard to have a premium recycling program, but the Streets Department has not let this happen. I recommend that the City Council review the RAC resolution and transform this 1903 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET resolution into its own requirement that the Streets Department prepare a strategic plan for recycling that will meet the City's recycling goals. City Council should require that the plan be prepared by the end of the third quarter of this year, of this calendar year, so that it is ready for implementation in the Fiscal Year 2000 budget.
City Council should closely monitor the preparation of the plan to make sure that the Department meets this deadline. If the Street Department once again fails to prepare a plan to meet the City's recycling goals, I would recommend that the recycling program be moved from the Streets Department and placed elsewhere, free from the institutional inertia of the Department. I attach to my testimony the original RAC resolution. And I also at this point would like to take an opportunity to transmit to the Council the Recycling Advisory Committee's resolution of its meeting from last week on the recycling program. And I would like to just take really 1904 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET one minute to summarize the testimony of the Clean Air Council. Joe Minott handed this to me and asked me to hand it in, and I'd like to highlight the four points that he makes. Now is a critical time for recycling in Philadelphia, especially since Al Dezzi left the post of Recycling Coordinator and Deputy Streets Commissioner. Over the years, the Streets Department has worked hard to bring recycling to all Philadelphians, and some important steps have been made. However, there is much more to be done to ensure that the recycling program does not stagnate or even slip backwards. And these are the points that the Clean Air Council makes: First, the Streets Department should work to ensure that the person who replaces the Al Dezzi as Recycling Coordinator is both a champion for recycling and someone with the power and authority to get things done in Philadelphia. Second, that there is universal agreement among recycling advocates that the best way to improve participation in the curbside 1905 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET program is to return to weekly residential curbside collection. The Clean Air Council strongly recommends that the Streets Department provide a plan for moving to weekly collections in its proposed budget this year. Third, an ongoing, long-term public education program about recycling should be fully funded. And, fourth, enforcement is critical to the success of the commercial recycling program. It cannot be done with only three sweep offers. I thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you very much. You should be aware, if you're not aware already, that Council actually did pass a resolution on Thursday, and I believe it authorizes the Streets and Services Committee of City Council to have hearings on the whole recycling program. There was also considerable disappointment on the part of Members of Council as to the status of the recycling program, much of which mirror the comments that you have made in 1906 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET this record today. And I recommend that you stay in touch with Councilmember DiCicco, I believe, who is the Chairman of the committee that is responsible for holding those hearings. They will be held, and I think they are very, very important, and we would like to work along with you. This Council has a proud history in this area, and we really would like to continue to work with the community and the Department to make sure that we make a lot more progress than we have made. Councilwoman Fernandez, did you have a comment?
Thank you, Mr. President. First, I want to -- so I don't forget it, I want to thank all of you for your thousands of volunteer that hours you've given to try to be the private part of a public/private partnership, to help us realize the intent and the spirit of what was behind the 1987 law. And probably some of you worked to get it through. I was not here at that point. 1907 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET But, as President Street noted, many of us in Council were very upset to find out how far behind we were with the goals and the fact that it was only six percent. When I asked the question. I didn't know the answer, so I was dumbfounded that it was that bad. And Councilman DiCicco and I did work together on the resolution which got passed on Thursday for hearings. Mr. President, I think an issue we face, however, is that the hearings on that resolution probably would not occur until April or May, and the Council will continue -- will be continuing to consider the budget for the next fiscal year till mid- to late March. So to wait to have the hearings till then would make us another year to miss these deadlines. So I would like to request that the Streets Department send to us within a week their best estimate, since they've had how many years to figure it out --
And, as you know, the Streets Department has been missing all these deadlines, so I would request that they 1908 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET submit to us their best estimate as of, say, March the 12th, of what would be the cost to move toward weekly residential collection of recycled materials -- or recyclable materials.
So that we would have that -- try to think of the calendar for our consideration because I think it would be a serious mistake to let the time again drag and let years and years go by. And many of us are upset at the -- at whatever is going on in the Streets Department that they can't seem to get it together to meet the law. And, frankly, having you review all the steps and regulations and goals and deadlines that have been met, makes me even more upset. And I think there's a sense of urgency to get the Streets Department to be more responsive.
One point that I would recommend, along with the recommendation to go to weekly, there should be a parallel recommendation to fund an education program so that people know about it and will respond to it.
Yeah. And, 1909 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET actually, one of my problems with doing a pilot is, if you're going to educate people, why not do it all over the City because one of the problems is now, as a lot of us noted, we can't remember whether we're blue or green or what week it is. It's a very confusing thing that we have right now. So if we're going to educate citizens, why not do it, say, Citywide, whatever day they agree to do it. But I would like -- I can't see anyone here from the Streets Department. Are they here? (No response.)
Okay, well, I would just like that message sent back to the Commissioner that, I would say, within a week, I'd like to see their best estimate of what it would cost.
And that brings us 1910 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET to the end of our list -- except for Alice Hayes. She has been very patient, and we appreciate it. (Alice Hayes comes forward.)
Thank you very much. I'm Alice Hayes, and I am on the Board of Citizens at Health Center No. 9, as are all of us here. I will be brief because Sheila Harper certainly covered a lot of material as Chairperson of our Board of Citizens.
So some of this will basically reiterate some of that information. I would like to thank Commissioner Estelle Richman and the staff at Health Center No. 21 9 for being so forthcoming with information and helping us to understand the complexities of delivering health care in a public health setting like Health Center No. 9. We certainly recognize that they are 1911 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET doing a giant task of managing the Health Department on the whole, but in particular, Health Center No. 9, which does serve the highest number of uninsured in the City of Philadelphia. And as a Board Member for the last four years, I'm basically here to present my perception of services at the health center. And the very first thing you can see, as a Board Member, also as a recipient, having had that experience as well, I have received care at the health center with my children, so I can also speak from that perspective. Basically, when you walk into Health Center No. 9, what you see is a decaying building. And you cannot help but see, once you enter that building, a decaying internal structure. As you enter, you see a long line in front of the pharmacy. And, of course, then it's left up to you to try to get through that line. And, believe me, I'm happy many times that I don't have to wait in line for the pharmaceutical service -- that is, if the pharmacy is staffed by a pharmacist. Recently, we had the occasion to 1912 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET have no pharmacist at the pharmacy for over a week, and that presented tremendous difficulty for the patients. And that raises the issue of staffing. In the four years that I've been a Member of the Board, every month, our very diligent Director of the Center presents information on the latest staffing difficulty. It seems tremendously difficult to get staffing positions up to line with the services. The other issue with the pharmacy is that the pharmacist is so busy, that to try to educate patients about the drug interactions that they may experience, I can imagine, would be absolutely impossible. I know that because of the antiquated computer system, a computer system where the hardware is not compatible with the software. It does not allow the pharmacy the important task of providing written patient education materials to the patients about drug interactions. And if you've listened to the news recently, you know that that is very important for patients to receive because of the number of 1913 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET deaths that are occurring recently as a result of that. And so it's left up to this extremely busy pharmacist to try to educate patients verbally. And, as you know, that is just not a very good situation. Try and make an appointment and get through the antiquated phone system. That in itself will cause a tremendous frustration. The waiting rooms. Try and wait in an extremely crowded waiting room where I've had the experience of waiting with two toddlers who were very difficult to entertain for the long wait. And, unfortunately, a very sick adult sat within such close proximity to us that we were literally touching shoulders. And he became quite ill and vomited right next to us, in an extremely crowded waiting room, where there were no materials to help to entertain the two toddlers or the rest of the kids in the waiting room. The waiting room was so crowded that, needless to say, whatever his problem was, we probably were exposed to it. Let's hope it wasn't TB. So the issues of just the building itself and 1914 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET the waiting rooms and waiting in the crowded waiting rooms is extremely difficult. And then you watch this very hard-working staff try to get you through the systems as quickly as they possibly can while they're dealing with an antiquated phone system, a computer system where the hardware is not compatible with the software. And the medical records.
Take a visit, pay a visit to the medical record room, where you see an extremely small room, with one person staffing. And you look at the shelves and you see that there are so many medical records on the shelves, you don't know how this staff person could possibly to attempt to try to get one medical record off those shelves. I don't know how she does it. And the bathrooms, they're another issue. The building, in general, is in a general state of decay, And the equipment is in decay. And basically, I invite Members of City Council to pay a visit to not only the health centers within their district, but particularly the health center at Health Center No. 9, because 1915 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET they do serve the highest number of uninsured and because we are so concerned about next year and what next year will bring for the public health centers. And we do not envy Commissioner Estelle Richman's job of trying to provide services under these circumstances. So we would like you to take the opportunity to visit the health center and see it firsthand and utilize these services firsthand , because unless you actually utilize these services firsthand, you really cannot get an idea of the need for attention that Health Center No. 9 is in. And that has basically been my experience as a Board Member. And I'd like to bring your attention to a document that was written by the Board four years ago, in which exactly the same conditions were addressed. And it addressed the status of Health Center No. 9 four years ago. It was written that Health Center No. 9 cannot possibly be user-friendly under these circumstances. The building is deteriorating and should be replaced. In particular, play space for 1916 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET the children that come to the Center with their parents is in great need. The clerical shortages, the staffing shortages continue. We need more physician hours. And this is all compounded by the antiquated information system, resulting in administrative backups and a discontinuity in patient relationships. And also, four years ago, we had the opportunity as a Board to receive a visit from the Department of Public Property, which then promised $360,000 in renovations for this 38-year-old facility. Four years later, the $360,000 in renovations have not materialized, the play space for children has not materialized. And we can only guess, because the Health Department is in just such drastic need of funding, that they need to prioritize. But we would implore the City Council to please take the health centers under your wing. Go to Health Center No. 9, please visit, please utilize the services, and see for yourself what is in need at that health center. 1917 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET And we certainly have appreciated working with Commissioner Estelle Richman, who has been very open to us in meeting with us, and we want to work with her in the future as well. What we hope is that Health Center No. 7 9 will be in place next year to address the needs of the citizens of that area. Thank you.
Thank you very much. - - - (Tony Okafor comes forward.)
My name is Tony Okafor. I'm also a Board Member for four years. I'm trying to emphasize the need for more exam rooms because that's what the Director asked us, that that was the cause for the delays because --
Sir, I'm going to 1918 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET have to ask you, and I hate to interrupt you, but could you please spell your name for the stenographer.
Okay. So what I'm really emphasizing is that in a recent survey to the patients, everybody is complaining about the waiting time. Sometime people wait from three hours to five hours before they can get treatment. And this is the cost of not having enough doctors, enough waiting rooms. So we need the improvement in the services. And also, the sanitation there is very poor. Because I witness firsthand a patient vomited on the floor, and there's nobody to pick 1919 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET it up. And as the Director said, the Director said that the janitor that was there was on leave, and there's no replacement, no person to take his place until he's back from vacation. So everything was a mess. So I have to just go there for myself. I was a patient, and I just went there to clean it up, seeing that the sanitation issue is a problem that should be addressed. We need more janitors in the health center. Thank you.
My name is Robert Morris, and I'm Vice Chairperson of the Board of Health Center No. 9. I don't wish to take up much of the Board's meeting -- of this Council's time, and I don't wish to reiterate all of the things that my colleagues have already talked about. But I'm interested in one thing, and one thing only. And that is, why haven't we 1920 BILL NO. 980003 - FY '99 OPERATING BUDGET started with the renovations? These renovations have been approved for over two years now, and we never can seem to find out why it is that they haven't started. So all I want to say to this Board is -- to the Council is, Let the games begin and let's get started doing something. Thank you.
Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Is there anyone else to testify? Is there anyone else to testify? (No response.) - - -
If not, this Council will stand in recess until Tuesday, March 3, 1998, at or about 9 o'clock a.m., in these chambers. Thank you very much for coming. (Adjourned at 1:01 p.m.) - - - 1921 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Saturday, February 28, 1998 were reported and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: Public Hearings - Committee of the Whole Bill No. 980003 Approval of FY '99 Operating Budget __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, RPR