By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
Still on the search for more volunteers, the DeWitt Advisory Conservation Commission (DACC) will be conducting its annual town-wide cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27.
Scheduled to coincide with the week of Earth Day, volunteers in past years have picked up everything from whiskey bottles and beer cans to mattresses and underwear.
“A lot of it is people who are not respectful of the environment,” Dennis Payne, the chair of the commission, said.
The roadside cleanup will go on rain or shine.
Those helping out are expected to dress appropriately to fend off inclement weather and protect against ticks. They should also bring their own work gloves.
Volunteers should come to DeWitt Town Hall, Robbie T’s Pizza in Jamesville or the Village Deli in East Syracuse to pick up garbage bags, stickers from the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) and safety vests.
“When people come in, we say ‘be careful and make sure you’re paying attention to cars,’” Payne said.
Volunteers do not need to register with DACC or OCRRA beforehand, but it creates an orderly fashion for assigning people to areas in need.
“My feeling is that it’s an investment in the future of the community,” Payne, a Jamesville resident, said. “You want your community to be attractive.”
To accommodate volunteers, Wegmans has sent in their routine $100 donation that will go toward refreshments including coffee, juice, bagels, doughnuts and fresh fruit.
“It’s really appropriate for us to thank them,” Payne said. “It’s always appreciated by the people that come and work hard.”
Preceding the event, “The Green Team” from the Bank of New York Mellon gathered to clean up Widewaters Parkway on April 19.
The DACC also puts together a fall cleanup event the last Saturday of every September.
“We are basically a pathfinder in that sense,” Payne said. “We’re trying to encourage other communities in Onondaga County to do it with us.”
He said the roads need cleaning more than once a year.
“They’re at their worst obviously in April, because all the litter has been covered by snow all winter long,” Payne said. “It starts getting dirty again by the end of the summer. If we keep up on it by cleaning in September, it’s not as bad in April.”
To pick a different day to clean up around DeWitt, contact Dennis Payne at (315) 469-0565 or [email protected] so he can provide proper supplies.
