Committee reviews Plains cleanup

Plains Spring Cleanup Day was a big success, but the group of volunteers that coordinated the daylong project got together to discuss how they could make it even better.

Over 40 volunteers showed up three weeks ago to help clean up the private property of 21 residents that needed assistance. The last time a town wide cleanup had been done was 2018, and the time before that was several years prior. But the organizers of the last one want to make it an annual event. Some of the cleanup coordinators formed the "Plains Beautification Committee" last week and met for the first time to talk about what went right and what went wrong at the spring cleanup day.

The committee included: Lana Dicken, Scott Johnson, Anita Marsh, Tim Kinsinger, Mari Jo Josephson, and Garrett Boon, the only council member on the committee. Dicken said others might join the group.

The consensus from the group was that the cleanup day went well, but they came up with a few ideas to streamline the operation and make it more efficient. There was no way to know how much garbage, yard clippings, old appliances, tires, and other debris were hauled to the county dump, but Johnson said it had to be tons.

"I believe it was formed because it was a success and we want it to be an ongoing successful event for many years to come," said Dicken. "We have a group of motivated, compassionate and driven community members who are focused on making the beautification of Plains a positive experience," she added.

Johnson suggested the next time they have a cleanup day that they have a reconnaissance visit to the recipients ahead of time to find out what they need done, what tools and the type of transportation would be needed, and if they have any heavy items that would require multiple muscles or a machine for pickup. It would also give them an idea how long the volunteers would be at a certain site. Having the volunteers fill out the waivers ahead of time would also save time.

The group noted that the school might be an additional source of help and be helpful to students that need to complete some type of community service for high school credit. Johnson also noted that for troubled youth, it could build self esteem and confidence.

Dicken felt they needed to get the word out sooner about the next one to get more volunteers and more people that need help to sign up. Although she and others actually went door to door for days before the May 6 cleanup, she felt they fell short in notifying the community about it. She felt they could get further publicity on it through Facebook and putting signs up around town.

Other suggestions included getting safety vests for the volunteers, knowing the specific times of the day volunteers would be available, and having someone checking to be sure those dropping off debris were town residents. Kinsinger said one man who didn't live in Plains wanted to unload a bunch of old tires. It was Kinsinger who set up the deal with Baldy Tires to take the 115 tires for $2 a tire instead of the standard $5 a tire. "I was impressed with how many people showed up for it, especially in the rain," said Kinsinger.

Boon suggested some sort of recognition for most improved yards and suggested thank you notes to businesses that donated food, water and materials to the program. The idea of having another cleanup day in the fall was brought up at last Tuesday's meeting. Dicken said she plans to call and canvas the volunteers they had in May. The group decided to talk about a fall cleanup day at the next meeting, which was scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, at 7 p.m. at the pool park pavilion.

"I am excited to see what we can accomplish in our community. Tonight's meeting was an informative and engaged collaboration that is indicative of the positive potential moving forward," said Dicken.