The neighborhood spring cleaning begins every day at 5 p.m. (or 1700 hours) during the first 17 days of May for an hours-worth of cleaning. This year it starts with the Washington neighborhood.
“Community cleanups themselves are almost a kind of symptom management,” Saurber said. “Part of what this is, when you have a community cleanup, you’re not only having community connections within the community, but we’re promoting that we care about this place, and we think you should, too. So I hope the neighbors driving by and seeing their neighbors cleaning up their community think twice before tossing that piece of litter out the window.”
And inspire others to clean up their corner of the neighborhood. Saurber said each property has an imaginary buffer, and “if we all took that responsibility to not only keep the trash off of our own property, but out to the curb or maybe across the street, expanding that buffer around their corner of our city ― businesses and residents alike ― that solves are litter problem right there.”
Last year, the number of volunteers at each neighborhood cleanup varied, from dozens showing up at some to as little as a handful of residents at others.
The Spring Clean the 17 was created last year as a way to be “bold,” Kathleen Klink, a champion of the advisory board’s mission, and a former board chair, told the Journal-News last year. “We wanted 17 Strong to have an impact in the community, and the only way you do that is by working with your residents.”
This year’s cleanup will also serve as “a promotional tour” for the organization’s The Cube, an all-encompassing cleanup trailer that includes everything one needs and is free of charge for city residents. The Cube, which was launched last year, will be at all 17 cleanups in May.
Hamiltonians can reserve The Cube online at 17StrongHamilton.org to continue the cleaning trend.
“We’re really hoping by having The Cube parked in each neighborhood at a highly visible location, that people will really take us up on the opportunity to reserve it for free, and so they can have their own cleanup throughout the rest of the year.”
SPRING CLEAN THE 17
17 community cleanups, in 17 days, staring at 1700 hours (5 p.m.):
May 1: Washington, 700 Gordon Smith
May 2: Millikin, 240 N. Washington Blvd.
May 3: Highland Park, 340 Marcia Ave.
May 4: North End, 664 Heaton St.
May 5: Enterprise Park, 3225 Sycamore Woods Lane
May 6: Lindwnwald, 20 Dayspring Dr.
May 7: East End, 2020 Grand Blvd.
May 8: Riverview, 721 S. 2nd St.
May 9: Taft Place/Governor Hill, 301 Thomas Blvd.
May 10: Rossville, 306 Ross Ave.
May 11: Dayton Lane, Campbell Avenue Park
May 12: Prospect Hill, 237 Wayne Ave.
May 13: German Village, 131 Village St.
May 14: Downtown, 6 S. 2nd St.
May 15: Armondale, 1093 Western Ave.
May 16: New London, 1094 Southern Hills
May 17: Jefferson, 709 East Ave.
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