Posted: 1:18 p.m.Monday, Feb. 16, 2015

Community clean-up planned

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

    Volunteers from throughout Middletown are being sought for a citywideclean-up as part of an Earth Day celebration on April 18.

    Jeff Michel, executive director of KeepMiddletown Beautiful, said major efforts will be to spruce up and refresh thegrounds around the Middletown City Building,all city schools, parks and various right of ways.

    “We’re reaching out to residents andorganizations, and we’re looking to engage the city and the school system,” hesaid.

    Michel said KMB has set a goal of 10,000service hours for 2015, which is “attainable.” He said he expects hundreds ofpeople to pitch in that day. Last year, about 100 people turned out for theEarth Day event.

    “Our goal is for everyone to notice changesas you drive through town,” Michel said.

Theevent, which also includes an educational forum, will be from 8 a.m. to noon.Volunteers can pre-register before April 18 or check-in at the lobby of the City Buildingon the day of the event. Michel said people can come for an hour or more astheir schedule permits.

    “The City Buildinglooks tired and it’s been several years since the grounds have beenoverhauled,” Michel said. “It needs to get a general exterior refresh toreflect what we’re moving toward.”

    Michel said he along with Steve Lewis, ofLewis Horticulture, and Chris Mack, of Arbor Care, will do an assessment of thegrounds to determine what needs to be done. Among the projects Michel foreseesare cleaning up the signage, raking out and re-mulching the mulch beds,painting the benches and cleaning up around the garden, pruning and feedingtrees as well as removing 12 known diseased trees.

    He’s hoping school officials will encourageprojects at each of the city school buildings to clean up their grounds, and hehopes residents will pitch in to help clean up city parks and right of ways onEarth Day.

    Michel said organizations such as MovingMiddletown Forward and Downtown Middletown Inc. have already expressed interestin helping to create awareness as well as participating. In addition, he saidwork is being done to do more local promotions for the event. MMF is working onbeautification projects in the area where the old city parking garage andSwallen’s store once stood downtown.

    In addition, the Earth Day effort will alsobe reaching out to businesses and others to expand the clean-up along the Main Street and Central Avenuecorridors. Michel said those corridors will run between OldSouth Parkto the 12th District Court of Appeals building on Main Street and from University Boulevard to the Great Miami River along Central Avenue.     
    He said he’ll also be reaching out to the Middletown CemeteryBoard to work with them to clean-up trash or cut and remove branches at the Middletown Pioneer Cemetery.

    Michel said if people or organizationswould prefer to do a clean-up on a different day, they will be accommodated andwhatever supplies they might need would be made available.

    “We’re very flexible,” he said.

    Denise Hamet, city economic developmentdirector, said “this is a good opportunity for community involvement.”

    She added that the city would be assistingin obtaining some equipment to do some exterior clean up of some downtownbuildings.

    For more information on how to participatein Middletown’sEarth Day clean-up, contact Michel at 513-465-2675 or at jeffm@cityofmiddletown.org.