Department of Sanitation executive records and photographs, circa 1954, 1979-2015

Accession ACC-2022-007. Unprocessed - RG 044. Department of Sanitation

Description

This accession consists of Department of Sanitation executive records and photographs, circa 1954, 1979-2015, including records of the First Deputy Commissioner (FDC), the Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection (DBCC), the DSNY Commissioner, and the Deputy Commissioner of Public Affairs. The accession includes subject and administrative files, correspondence, reports, statistics, publications, manuals, appointment books, photographs, and audiovisual materials. The records of the FDC Office, circa 1979-2015, consist of approximately 162 cubic feet of subject files, correspondence, personnel management files, reports, manuals, publications, and printed ephemera. These boxes include records of FDCs Peter Montalbano, Michael Bimonte, and Michael Carpinello. FDC subject files include memoranda, reports, publications, and notes. Subject areas include operations, labor relations, facilities, vehicles and equipment, vendors, enforcement, planning, budgeting, environmental and health issues, weather response, initiatives and programs, community affairs, legislative and legal affairs, personnel, training, and safety. FDC personnel management files, ca. 1982-2001, include lists, correspondence, and notes relating to the administration of assignments, transfers, and promotions. Many of the boxes with FDC correspondence contain loose, numbered correspondence, and attached documentation, relating to complaints and inquiries by city residents and elected officials regarding violations, enforcement, and services. Some correspondence relates to DSNY investigations. Correspondents from DSNY include the Field Investigations – Audit Team, the Enforcement Division, the First Deputy Commissioner, the agency Commissioner, and the Office of Community Affairs. The records of the Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection (DBCC), circa 1954, 1982-2015, consist of approximately 47 cubic feet documenting the activities of the director of this bureau, which is responsible for cleaning streets, collecting refuse, recyclables and compost, and removing snow. The DBCC records include subject files, correspondence, published and unpublished reports, guides, manuals, binders, administrative forms, appointment books, ledgers, and a small amount of commemorative reports. DBCC subject files include documentation relating to: sanitation routes; general operations (e.g. operations orders); policies and procedures; system data and statistical analysis (e.g. collection, routes); personnel (e.g. timesheets, differential payment appeal forms, docking and appeals process); labor relations; enforcement; planning; weather and emergency response; and department history. The circa 1954 document in this accession is a copy of an, "Outline History of the Department of Sanitation", originally published in July 1954 by the Department's Office of Operations. Reports, guides, and binders in the DBCC boxes include: Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for DSNY initiatives; budget; personnel; command orders; facilities; waste prevention (research reports); enforcement (e.g. staffing, legislation, logistics); recycling and composting (e.g. budget, operations, contracts); analysis of bike lanes by borough; transition briefing for FDC; study and vendor guides; and emergency and weather response plans. DSNY Commissioner records, circa 1993-2014, include approximately 29 cubic feet of subject files, correspondence, and files relating to snow and weather events. These boxes include records of Commissioners John J. Doherty, Kevin Farrell, and the Chief of Staff's Office. Chief of Staff's Office records, ca. 1990s, consist of six cubic feet of subject files on operations, initiatives, communications, and administration, with documentation for various DSNY Commissioners, including Doherty, Emily S. Lloyd, Steven M. Polan, and Brendan John Sexton. The records of Vito A. Turso, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Information and Community Affairs, consist of two cubic feet of subject files from 1998-2007. These boxes include memos, press releases, testimony, telephone bills, timesheets, reports, printed ephemera on DSNY events and initiatives, and clippings. Photographs include one cubic foot of color and black-and-white 8x10 prints of the rehabilitation of the West 59th Street Marine Transfer Station (project progress photographs), ca. 1985-1989; and of the rehabilitation of Pier 97, 1985-1986. Significant topics, events, and themes in the records in this accession include: the agency's response to extreme weather events (e.g. Hurricanes Floyd, Irene, and Sandy); Fresh Kills landfill facility operations and closure; response to the 1993 and September 11th World Trade Center attacks, and cleanup operations; response to public health issues (e.g. West Nile Virus, Asian Longhorn Beetle); agency initiatives and programs (e.g. NYC WasteLess, Operation N.I.C.E.); the development of recycling and composting operations; strikes and labor relations; and technological and operational changes, including the advent of "two-man" trucks in the early 1980s. The information in the "Partial Content Description" column of the attached inventory comes from an inventory created by the Department of Sanitation, and given to the Municipal Archives along with the records. The inventory is mostly accurate, however it is not comprehensive. Information in brackets has been supplied by the archivist.

Extent

243 cubic feet (243 record cartons) : the appraisal consists mostly of paper records. there is one box of photographic prints, and small amounts of photographs of different types and sizes interspersed across the records. video or audio tapes, cds, and photographs, may be attached to the complaint and inquiry correspondence, or found in subject files. some of the reports and manuals are in metal binders.

Dates

circa 1954, 1979-2015

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External Documents

Access to Unprocessed Archival Collections

Unprocessed collections may include protected information related to personal privacy, health information, and minors, as well as attorney-client privilege. In accordance with laws and regulations, this material will be reviewed prior to providing public access and certain records may be subject to redaction or other measures that restrict access. Archival and library collections may also be restricted or limited based on physical condition, technical requirements, or format.