The location of today's cleanup is in a quiet corner of the East Side, right off of bustling Wickenden Street. Up until recently, there had been a homeless encampment that was tucked against the fence that borders 195. When we last scouted this location, it had appeared that a skid-steer had been brought in to clear out the encampment.
In this area, there is also a parking lot that, from my (limited) understanding is privately owned, but the owner is absent and doesn't actively manage the lot. I'm not saying I've parked there and walked to one of the numerous delicious breakfast places on Wickenden, but...
These absentee-owner locations are problematic at best. While they might not charge for parking, it's also an area rife with illegal dumping. There was a huge amount of waste in the lot, including an abandoned pontoon boat, and piles of waste that appear to have come from the encampment. As an organization, we are generally not able to collect waste on a private lot, but the neighborhood is stuck looking at this litter until either the city picks it up, or someone takes it upon themselves to do so.
All of this said, we had a great turnout despite a last-minute Friday night rescheduling from Saturday - Sunday, on account of, you guessed it, RAIN! April showers bring May flowers?
Volunteer Hours - 32 (16 volunteers x 2 hours) Litter collected - 300 lbs
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