SURF CITY — The town is calling for the community’s help for one final push to clean street litter and remaining debris from Hurricane Florence recovery efforts before the summer tourist season swings into high gear.
The town’s Beautification Committee will organize volunteers into crews and hand out trash bags at Soundside Park starting at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 11.
Resident Jim Conway was appointed to the committee shortly before Florence hit the town last September. He said the main focus will be on the island, particularly on canal streets where trash tends to find its way into nearby waterways.
“A lot of the canal streets and a lot of the streets that run throughout the city empty out into the waterways. So the trash — there’s still a lot from Florence, a lot from the cleanup, a lot of roof shingles — is still pretty abundant throughout the island,” Conway said. “So this is sort of our last effort to clean up the streets as much as possible before summer kicks it into high gear,” Conway said.
According to Conway, approximately 200 volunteers showed for a street sweep organized by the committee last October — even in bad weather. This year he’s hoping for sunny skies and a big turnout to continue helping a town whose resources have been stretched thin since Florence.
Parks and Recreation Director Chad Merritt said the town tapped the committee to organize the event in order to give streets “a thorough cleaning before the Memorial weekend hits.”
“We want our community and visitors to be proud of Surf City and how far we have come since our unwelcome visitor back in September of last year,” Merritt said. “Most importantly, we want them to know we are and have been open for business, and welcome visitors with open arms.”
He said the event is part of the town’s goal of scheduling periodic beach and street sweeps in the future, especially to pick up after heavy construction traffic traveling throughout the town.
“Our staff work hard daily, but every little bit helps,” Merritt said.
Details
- When: Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to noon
- Where: Groups will be organized at Soundside Park (517 Roland Ave.)
- What to Bring: Gloves, trash pickers, and a safety vest or brightly colored clothing
Mark Darrough can be reached at Mark@Localvoicemedia.com
