by Rivkela Brodsky
Daily Lobo
Six people will clean between 4,000 to 8,000 pounds of trash after Spring Crawl on Saturday night.
"Six people is more than enough, or we think so," said Patrick Dyer, operations manager at the Downtown Action Team.
The Downtown Action Team employs five people who clean up Downtown on a daily basis called the Clean Team.
On a normal night, the Clean Team collects about 500 pounds of trash.
During Spring Crawl, it will be responsible for cleaning the section of Central from First to Eighth streets, starting at 2 a.m.
The team will split into two groups, start at each end and meet in the middle, said Nathaniel Ratliffe, supervisor of the team.
Two people will work during the event, and four others will come in at 2 a.m.
Dyer said it takes about four hours to clean up Spring Crawl trash.
Ratliffe said when they first started cleaning up after Spring Crawl, it would take longer that
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"Now it's easier," he said. "We have got a steady routine down."
He said the team tried to keep busy during those hours.
"The busier we stay, the faster the time goes by," he said.
He said the workers are responsible for street sweeping, sidewalk sweeping and litter removal services. They also set up trash cans in outside tents and monitor them throughout the night.
Ratliffe said they take care of trash from the bars and trash on the streets.
Dyer said the team uses blowers, street sweepers and scrubbers to clean up the streets.
Ratliffe said the job isn't just cleaning. Employees gain experience with the equipment.
The city's Solid Waste Department will help the team by emptying the Dumpsters behind bars after the event.
Ratliffe said many bars are overwhelmed by the amount of trash and will load bags up in the Dumpster or line them along the trash container if it gets full.
He said employees get paid a little extra that night for the late hours.
The team is contracted by the Alibi for Spring Crawl.
Carl Petersen, general manager of the Alibi, said a lot of trash is Downtown after Spring Crawl.
"I'm always amazed at the job they do," he said.
