BART Board Member Tries To Clean Up 16th Street Mission Station
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- While it might not be news that the 16th Street Mission BART station is incredibly dirty, the fact that a member of the transit agency's Board of Directors is taking a hands-on approach to fix the problem has garnered some attention.
The problems at the station are rampant between the trash, the graffiti and some messes that clean-up crews have trouble identifying.
Bevan Dufty, a member of the Board of Directors for BART, told KPIX 5 he's had enough.
"I'm at lagerheads a bit with the BART executive management who are telling me a million reasons why, in this billion dollar budget, I can't get a daytime cleaner here at 16th and Mission," explained Dufty.
It was after learning that arguably one of the dirtiest stations in the system did not have a full-time, day shift janitor that he decided to grab a broom and come down to the Mission once a week to clean.
Currently there is a cleaner who comes on duty in the afternoon at 16th Street. Dufty specifically wants a daytime cleaner who works at 7 a.m.
He says he was told by BART management that they would have to take a janitor from the suburbs to move on into the city. Dufty counters that is not true because there are unfilled job openings at BART for janitors and the transit agency could hire someone specifically for the 16th Mission station.
Dufty says he knows it's unusual to pick up a broom and a dustpan, but he's trying to make a point.
He is also getting some high-profile help. Last Wednesday morning, BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas lent a hand. This week, Supervisor Hillary Ronen will pitch in.
"I'm kind of rattling the door and saying, 'Come on, don't give me excuses. Let's do things,'" said Dufty.
When asked if he was concerned about people possibly saying that he is grandstanding with the public clean-up, he replied, "I'm not saying I'm great. I'm not running for any other office. I'm saying this is my responsibility. The conditions at this station are unacceptable. And I'm going to keep coming out here until we get this situation resolved."
KPIX 5 asked BART management for comment, but has received no response from the transit agency
