Annual downtown cleanup aiming for 100 volunteers

The fifth annual Great Downtown Cleanup, usually held in Springfield on a Saturday around Earth Day, will take place this year on Saturday, May 10.

Last year, 92 volunteers picked up 180 bags of trash in a 30-block area of downtown Springfield during the half-day beautification event.

Organizers hope to have 100 volunteers this year. In addition to picking up litter, teams of three or four will be taking part in several special projects, including graffiti removal, laying down mulch and planting flowers.

“We’ve traditionally done the downtown cleanup in April,” said Carly Sue Woodrow, community relations specialist for the Clark County Waste Management District. The later date was picked for convenience of scheduling, but Woodrow said getting to plant flowers is an added bonus.

The district’s Keep Clark County Beautiful initiative is sponsoring the cleanup, along with the Center City Association.

The cleanup improves the look of downtown while bringing the community together and increasing civic pride, according to Center City Executive Director Bill Harless.

“We expect a great turnout of volunteers on May 10th and look forward to ‘shinning-up’ Springfield,” he said.

This year sponsors have donated both breakfast and lunch for volunteers. Breakfast items will be available at registration and lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. following the cleanup.

Volunteers are asked to arrive for check-in at the Heritage Center, 117 S. Fountain Ave., between 7:30 and-8 a.m. Keep Clark County Beautiful provides gloves, trash bags and some equipment.

“All you need is yourself and some comfortable shoes,” Woodrow said. But if volunteers have tools, such as brooms, rakes, and shovels, they are encouraged to label them with their name and bring them along.

Volunteers are asked to register by Monday, May 5. Registration forms are available by calling Keep Clark County Beautiful at 937-521-2025, or by going to www.32TRASH.org.

Woodrow said the date change may mean some volunteers can’t make it to this year’s cleanup and encouraged those who can’t attend to plan their own cleanup project as part of the Great American Cleanup, which runs through May 31.

“Some people don’t have a connection to downtown,” Woodrow said. “Folks can pick a date that works for them and a location that is significant to them.” She said some people might prefer to clean up a field, park or neighborhood close to their home.

Keep Clark County Beautiful will still provide gloves and trash bags to groups or individuals wanting to clean up all month long. For more information, call 937-(37) 521-2025 or email cwoodrow@clarkcountyohio.gov.

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