Brenda Moore is in her fourth year as Saginaw’s mayor, and she is joining city staff to organize her sixth community cleanup.
Yes, the numbers add up. The inaugural event was in spring 2001, and the second fall (or late summer) campaign is set for 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 14.
Volunteers will gather at City Hall and disperse to tackle eyesores across the community. Tasks in an anything-it-takes approach will include removing litter and debris, weeding, edging, raking, and mowing.
Mayor Moore has expanded to twice a year as a cornerstone of her emphasis on citizen involvement. When the cleanups began, she expressed hope that the cash-strapped general fund budget could find funds to “bring in heavy equipment” for the highest level of abandoned properties, so that cleanup volunteers would see more results from their efforts.
A sum of $800,000 was approved from ARPA, the federal American Rescue Plan Act, but specific projects have not yet been undertaken.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Saginaw County Land Bank authority say they lack funds to do more than mow triangular sections at intersections to clear sightlines for motorists.
At the same time, the second-Saturday monthly large item dropoff site at the Public Works Center, across Holland Avenue south of City Hall, has made a major dent. It was started 30 years ago after a cleanup day allowed residents, one time only, to place anything and everything at curbside, leading to a suppressed disposal of junk from garages and yards that lined streets for weeks and required outside contractors to get rid of the excess.
Mayor Moore’s cleanup is purposefully scheduled on the same day as the September dropoff, which begins an hour earlier at 8 a.m. on Cleanup Day. A driver license showing city residence is required and city crews will help to unload items such as recyclables, building materials, furniture, and tree limbs.
Anyone who arrives on Cleanup Day will be welcome, but planners are seeking pre-registration by Monday, Sept. 8, to help them make arrangements, including a post-work lunch on the City Hall front lawn. The site is saginaw-mi.com/cleanup.
