Friday’s Clean Up CommUnity Day will bring together groups and individuals from across the city who are going to roll up their sleeves and fill up bags with trash that’s cluttering up Henderson’s roadsides.
City Manager Terrell Blackmon said that having days like these serve to not only make the community cleaner and more attractive for residents, but it also helps to put the city’s best foot forward.
“We spread out throughout Henderson and we pick up litter,” Blackmon said. It’s a coordinated effort with NCDOT’s Clean Sweep initiative, and Blackmon said city crews would be on hand to pick up the filled bags as quickly as possible.
Participants can give a quick call to city crews when they’ve filled bags and Blackmon said they’ll go pick them up, same day. “We like getting bags up as quickly as we can to show the impact as quickly as we can.”
Things get underway at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 25. Contact Cindy Norwood at 252.430.5702 to sign up and to get information about getting bags and gloves to use for the clean-up event.
With each bag that gets filled, whether at the interchange at I-85 and U.S. 1, along downtown sidewalks or on Andrews Avenue, Blackmon said there’s a focus on making the city more attractive.
In fact, the clean-up event “goes a long way in what we’re trying to do,” Blackmon said, to meet the number 1 priority of the City Council’s strategic plan, which is to improve the appearance and perception of the community. “Efforts like this go a long way to help us meet that goal,” he said.
Henderson’s Ward 4 at-large Council Member Tami Walker is planning to have a team of 15-20 participants in her district out taking part in the event, Blackmon said.
Of course, keeping trash off the streets and placing it in proper receptacles is the ideal goal, and Blackmon said collaboration with local schools is one way to help educate the younger generation.
“If we start early enough, (students) can help reinforce what they’re learning about” and reduce litter.
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