Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) today to wrap up a blitz of city services over the weekend in the Back of the Yards community. Services included graffiti removal, lot cleaning, tree trimming, filling potholes, rodent abatement and street sweeping among others. This weekend’s event is part of a series of blitzes that will take place throughout the summer in neighborhoods throughout Chicago.

“Effective and efficient city services are the cornerstones of every community that contribute to a higher quality of life for all Chicagoans,” said Mayor Emanuel. “From beautifying the public way to updating street signage and lighting, we are modernizing city infrastructure block by block. These service blitzes represent the important community investments that will help make our neighborhoods stronger and safer, and move the City of Chicago forward.”

“City services are the fundamental building blocks needed to maintain strong, healthy communities. That is why it is critical that we address resident requests as quickly as possible,” said DSS Commissioner Charles L. Williams. “By utilizing this ‘blitz’ model, we are able to deliver a thorough compliment of resources to an area in a short amount of time. Services that help keep our neighborhoods safe and clean.”

“Making sure the roads are safe, well lit, and clearly marked improves the quality of life in every neighborhood,” said Randy Conner, Acting Commissioner of CDOT. “Working with community groups and residents in specific neighborhoods ensures we complete all of the needed repairs and replacements, while we have crews on site.”

Earlier this month, blitzes were conducted in the Austin and Garfield Park communities.

DSS and CDOT updated street markings, thoroughly cleaned vacant lots, parkways and embankments. Crews focused on cutting down overgrown weeds and picking up trash, ultimately hauling away more than 1,000 bags of debris. CDOT was able to replace burned out streetlights, repair signals and fix or replace broken and missing traffic and street signs.

This announcement builds on recent efficiency in city services from the elimination of the pothole and graffiti backlogs to reducing the tree trimming backlog by 80 percent. DSS is now responding to graffiti removal requests within three days. Streets and Sanitation is the city’s largest provider of non-emergency services.

Each year, the Department responds to more than one million requests for city services like garbage collection, street cleaning, graffiti removal, tree trimming, rodent abatement, snow removal and more. The Chicago Department of

Transportation keeps the city’s surface transportation networks and public way safe for users, environmentally sustainable, in a state of good repair and attractive, so that its diverse residents, businesses and guests all enjoy a variety of quality transportation options, regardless of ability or destination.

For more information or to request a city service, call 311 or visit www.cityofchicago.org.