Arena’s first line of attack against messy crowds
Crowds create mess. Janine Rankin meets the cleaners who mop up after them.
If cleanliness is next to godliness, Ferdie Salvador and Chann Locke are Central Energy Trust Arena’s angels.
When the crowds move out after sport, racing or a function, they swoop in to clean up.
Salvador comes from the Philippines, has been in New Zealand for 20 years, and has been working at Palmerston North’s arena for 15 years.
Locke is from Cambodia, and has been cleaning at the conference and function centre and the arena for just over three and a half years.
They are Venues and Events Palmerston North operations manager Charles Foulds’ first line of attack on dust, dirt and litter left behind after the show.
The roster is challenging, with plenty of evening work, with 5pm to 11pm shifts during the Speedway season, and some 1am finishes after tournaments to have everything done for next-day events.
Sometimes they have help, from a third cleaner, from other staff, or crews of volunteers who pick up the rubbish as a fundraiser for their clubs.
They pick up litter, they empty and clean the bins, clean the loos, chip chewing gum off the floor, clean the ticket boxes, vacuum, dust, wipe down walls and clean windows.
During events they can be contacted by radio to come and clean up any spills that need prompt
attention. The stuff people leave behind includes food wrappers, pistachio nut shells, and vast quantities of half-eaten food, not a lot of it put in the bins.
They also find wallets, clothes, phones, bags and shoes, which are kept in the lost property cupboard until it’s full, when it goes to Methodist Social Services.
Foulds appreciates their efforts, and knows venue users do also.
For Salvador, it’s enough that he has work he knows and is confident doing, and he gets satisfaction from ‘‘people telling you that you make a good job’’.
And Locke, as well, says everything is good when people are friendly and say thanks.