Cleanup hailed as best ever

Three years ago,  just a small band of nine volunteers turned out for the first Great American Cleanup, said Cathy Estrada,  organizer and  city code enforcement officer.

On Saturday, there were 61 volunteers who signed up, Estrada said.

“The word is getting out. It was an excellent turnout, the best I’ve  had,” she said.

Volunteers combed the Route 66 Boulevard, east to Jackson Street and west to Fifth Street.

“They cleaned the sidewalks of weeds and the gutters,”  Estrada said.

In all, 40 large yard bags were filled with trash and one dumpster was chock-full, Estrada said.

One crew also got a head start on Friday by cleaning up Route 66 near Interstate 40, where they collected six pickup loads and about 30 bags of trash, Estrada said.

In addition, many people took advantage of the city’s offer for free dumping. There were over 300 visits to the landfill by people who brought trailers or pickups filled with trash, she said.

“We’ve got trash bags, safety vests, gloves for any group that wants to come out for a special club project,” Estrad said.

“We just need people and their time,”  said Estrada, who is already planning for other cleanup projects   sometime in June and in September.