Mahoning Valley Forum

To beautify Youngstown and make it a cleaner and well maintained city that people would want to visit and make their home.  To encourage the citizens of Youngstown to make their home a beautiful place to live and to keep it clean for their children and other community members.

Doesn't it make more sense to do something like this in the spring?? Trying to attack the entire city in a single day just isn't doable. Litter control and/or the street department will not be able to provide adequate support. Just having them sweep the streets makes a tremendous impact but there is no way they can cover 500 plus miles of road in a week let alone one day. I am all for trying to improve the city, but the daunting task of attacking the entire city in one day will lead to people not getting involved.

The blockwatches should work with their councilman and coordinate a series of ward cleanups that could make more of a difference.

I have to agree with Ted ... there's too much area for too few persons for a single day. As for the street sweepers there are also too few of them to cover the whole city in a single day. When they do my street two are used both going in the same direction from Madison Street out to Gypsy Lane, and they are tied up just on our street alone all morning, so think how long it would take them to do all the streets. Mahoning, Market, South Avenue, Glenwood Ave. Oak Street and Wilson Ave.  would take all day for each street.

This may seem kind of insignificant, but I think there would be a bigger response if this clean-up didn't start at 7:15am.

Personally, I would be much more inclined to participate if the start time was later.  I spend 5 days a week getting up early, Saturday and Sunday are the only days I get to enjoy my mornings.  My weekend mornings keep me sane.

I may sound lazy or apathetic, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

It could  be done on a weekly basis by young people that need credit for  community service for  school and  organizations.  But at least it is being attempted.   I applaud the organizers' efforts.

Only the opening event is at 7:15 a.m.  Anyone wishing to participate should contact their block watch and then join the cleanup crew sometime during the morning.

I guess my point was missed.  People with busy schedules (kids in school, full time jobs, students with early classes or  ALL OF THE ABOVE) relish their weekend mornings.  By starting the clean-up at a later time, even 11:00 am for example, participation could be greatly increased.

I hope that some Forum members will participate in this clean up on Saturday.  If you take pictures, please post them on this message board.

Agreed

Quote from: Leah on September 14, 2007, 11:14:59 PM
I guess my point was missed.  People with busy schedules (kids in school, full time jobs, students with early classes or  ALL OF THE ABOVE) relish their weekend mornings.  By starting the clean-up at a later time, even 11:00 am for example, participation could be greatly increased.

So if a person isn't able to get to the organizational meeting.    A good idea might be to organize an individual block cleanup?

Breakfast will be provided for the volutneers at the downtown ceremony at 7:30 a.m.

  You speak of Block Watches. I have been trying to get help bldg a blockwatch in my area for the last ten years.

 I do my walk faithfully every night after 11:30 and have had one 'new" police Officer tell me not to "prowl" the streets because they are Too dangerous to walk at night.

 That is why I am out there. To make our neighborhood safe. I have had a 'little' success but there is a Long ways to go.

When Bush was Chief he was supposed to get me in touch with folks to help get it started. but it never happened.

 Since then I have become a Civil Deputy Sheriff and attended Youngstown Civilian Police Academy. The Colonel at Rainbow Market and I have been trying to work together in our neighborhood. and I got involved with the folks at the Unitarian Church for 2010.

  Councilman Gillam's wife told me the other night that the lady in charge of the Blocklwatches since then has retired.Looks like we need to Start this thing all over again.

Northside blockwatch is only interested in Wick Park , anything in the Historical section and west towards Belmont Ave.I walk from Elm St to Wick Ave and Broadway to Madison. I'm a one man blockwatch.

  So far we have run out three crackhouses and there is another two to go. I'm working on it.

Sorry to hijack the thread but Hey I cold use some help.             Ron

These are some of the hundreds of volunteers who participated in today's city wide clean up.  In the photo, breakfast snacks were distributed and work areas assigned.  The volunteers then traveled to the city's wards to pick up litter and trash.