On October 9, 2024, Centralina hosted a Fall Celebration and Awards Ceremony at Atrium Ballpark in Kannapolis, NC. This event highlighted the work of our organization and member communities, in addition to several people and programs that have made an exceptional impact in our community over the last fiscal year.
Local Government Innovation is a Region of Excellence award category that celebrates the towns, cities and counties who do more with less at a time when the role of government is increasingly important. Awardees have made the most of their available resources in a manner that is both innovative and brings value to our communities.
About Gastonia’s “Litter Crew”
Like countless other communities, the City of Gastonia has noticed excessive litter along its roadways in recent years. The short-term solution was to turn to the Public Works Department’s right-of-way mowing crew to address complaints as they were received. These crews were being pulled from their daily duties to address litter complaints and even spent so much as two-thirds or more of their workday collecting litter before they could begin their mowing routes. Due to the volume of litter pick up requests and limited city resources, Gastonia accomplished its goal of reducing roadside litter by implementing a creative approach.
Gastonia partnered with Staff 360, LLC, a local temporary staffing agency, to create a designated city “litter crew.” The litter and mowing crews utilize a coordinated approach that has increased city staff productivity by approximately 300% in the time since this partnership was developed. Gastonia says that the best part of this partnership is that the overall appearance of the community has improved significantly and has a positive impact on residents and visitors.
In the nearly five years since this partnership began, Gastonia has been able to remove an average of 180,000 gallons of litter from its roadsides annually.
