San Rafael cleanup guru earns public service award

Years ago, Tom Harrison noticed that the trail between Bahia Vista Elementary School and Spinnaker Point was overrun with trash.

“I called the city and they said they didn’t have the manpower to clean it up,” the San Rafael resident said. “So I said, ‘If you guys aren’t going to clean this up, can I do it?’”

And for the last decade, he has. His self-directed mandate has since expanded with beautification and graffiti removal work throughout the downtown. Now, the 76-year-old’s efforts have earned him a special commendation from the city.

Harrison is this year’s recipient of an award spawned from an endowment established by J. Michael Maloney with the Marin Community Foundation in 2001 to honor former San Rafael planning commissioner Dick O’Brien. The award is now known as the Richard O’Brien and the Mary Ferrario O’Brien Public Service Award.

“This award is always given to an outstanding community member who has gone above and beyond and truly embodies the values of San Rafael,” Mayor Kate Colin said.

The city estimates his work has kept hundreds – perhaps thousands – of pounds of garbage out of area waterways.

“I think people feel better about living in San Rafael. Graffiti and litter is a visual annoyance to people. It’s a way of going back and making the city a cleaner, nicer place to live,” Harrison said.

Colin said Harrison was selected for his work maintaining the trail, as well as his beautification work throughout the city.

“Tom brings so much insight to the groups he participates in and he is never too good for any task,” she said. “Tom models civic duty and public service at its best.”

Born and raised in Bakersfield, Harrison, who served in the Army, received a bachelor’s degree in geography from Florida State University and a master’s degree in geography from San Francisco State.

He has long operated a small business, Tom Harrison Maps, which produces topographic waterproof maps on state parks, landmarks and regions for hikers and backpackers. He previously worked as a California park ranger, stationed mostly on Angel Island.

“I’ve had a pretty good career,” Harrison said. “Cleaning has sort of been my retirement job. I’ve made all the maps I want to make and I’m gradually winding down. I do this every day in the morning for three or four hours. It’s fresh air and exercise and it helps San Rafael.”

Around 2016, Harrison joined San Rafael Clean, a loose group of volunteers, organizations and businesses focused on cleaning and beautification. Since 2005 the group has conducted neighborhood and beach cleanups, litter abatement events, and public education campaigns.

Harrison contributes to the the Downtown Business Improvement District and helps organize Earth Day and Coastal Cleanup Day. He also developed a map of all the trash cans in the city, which he provided to the city and Marin Sanitary Service.

“After I finished that, I thought I should start taking some of the graffiti off of some of those garbage cans, and light poles and utility boxes,” he said.

The graffiti and sticker removal effort has resulted in cleaner trash cans, streetlights, fire hydrants, parking meters and traffic control boxes in the downtown corridor, making it more hospitable to visitors and contributing to economic vitality, the city said.

The award, presented at the City Council’s April 2 meeting, includes $2,500 cash and recognition at the “State of the City” dinner on May 15.

Part of that cash award, Harrison said, will likely go toward graffiti removal.