September 9, 2023, the date I had been broadcasting since March this year. This was the second time that the Board went with repeated advance notices and sign-up sheets for both volunteering and curbside pickups. Once again, it was a relatively successful, same-day event. Lessons were learned and will be implemented in 2024. Much thanks goes to everyone who cooperated, both the 15 volunteers and the 100 people who signed up for curbside pickup. Here is the list of volunteers and their roles:
- Received the 3 dumpsters: John Firsching
- Ryder Truck pickup: John Firsching and Larry Little
- Scout: Sandra Woolfendon Drove around the neighborhood to see what unexpected depositsappeared curbside.
- Truck drivers: John Hunter and Jay De Lanoy, one for Surrey Square and the other for Olde Forge.
- Truck crews: Oscar Castillo, Bob Bishop, Brett Surbey, Steve Bair and Jack and Luke Bair.
- Dumpster Crew: Harrison Wu, Juan Canales, Shannon Davis, Steve Sheffield. Also included are Joan Bishop and Dorothyand John Firsching.
- One trip to the I-66 Transfer station per truck: John Hunter and Bob Bishop
- Return trucks to Ryder: John Firsching and Larry Little
Relatively successful, same-day event? What does that mean? It means that by the time Saturday ended, there were almost no open questions regarding next steps. The sign-up list for curbside pick-up was picked up on the same day, Saturday. A run was made to the I-66 Transfer Station to dump mattresses (a much-reduced number from 2022). The two Ryder trucks were returned that evening. The huge amount of scrap metal was collected for Joe Corallo to pick up at his convenience, a task that was mostly completed before the Fall Festival with more picked up since then.
Lessons learned? Give more process details even in the first message in March. Specify the jobs and the number of volunteers needed for each job. Specify the
need for a volunteer with a chain saw. We did a lot of furniture and sofa breakdown. Continue to emphasize the
volunteer nature of this event and that things will go wrong. Neighbors are helping neighbors. The need to reduce lastminute decisions is a crucial part of the repeated notices and for a cutoff date for signing up. It’s also a reason for a seemingly unreasonable 3-hour pick-up schedule: Put your stuff out the night before or by 9 am Saturday morning. Your stuff will be picked up, if you are on the sign-up list. Another lesson is to be more proactive in getting 16-ft, not 26-ft box trucks.
Well, March is only 5 months away, and I have to get ready for my first announcement.
