Ward 2 cleanup set for September 15

The next community cleanup backed by Keep El Dorado Beautiful is set for Sept. 15 in Ward 2.

KEB is keeping up its call for the city’s four wards to coordinate cleanups in each quarter of the year — a call that has come with cash incentives for volunteer groups in an effort to boost participation.

Ward 2 will be the third ward to host a cleanup this year.

Cleanups were held in wards 3 and 4 in May and June, respectively, and with summer temperatures starting to heat up, KEB decided to ask wards 1 and 2 to wait for cooler weather in the fall to schedule cleanups.

There had been some discussion about combining the cleanups for wards 1 and 2 before cold, rainy winter weather sets in.

Dianne Hammond, a member of KEB and the El Dorado City Council, said Ward 2 city council members Vance Williamson and Judy Ward settled on the Sept. 15 date, adding that a cleanup for Ward 1 has not yet been scheduled.

Janis Van Hook, president of KEB, said the group is also hoping to complete the ward cleanups prior to Oct. 31, the final day of the Great Arkansas Cleanup, which is held in September and October each year.

The statewide community improvement campaign typically draws thousands of volunteers who coordinate local events across Arkansas.

KEB annually participates in the Great Arkansas Cleanup and the Great American Cleanup, which is held each spring, by helping to organize large cleanups in El Dorado.

This year, the group has called on city council members to take the reins of organizing cleanups in their wards, either with hands-on participation or by recruiting volunteers among the constituents in their wards to lead the effort.

Hammond and Council Member Mary McAdams, both of whom represent Ward 4 and are members of KEB, worked with KEB to coordinate the cleanup in their ward, as did Ward 3 council members Willie McGhee and Tony Henry.

Kensel Spivey — who resigned in June from the Ward 3, Position 2 city council seat now held by Henry — also spearheaded the project.

Clean Harbors, which is located in Ward 3, played an integral part in organizing the cleanup.

To encourage more volunteers to participate in the 2018 ward cleanups, Clean Harbors has also committed cash awards of $300 each to groups, such as youth sports teams and church groups, with 10 or more members.

There are a certain amount of slots available for the cash awards and first priority is given to groups from the respective wards.

To receive the cash awards, volunteer teams must also complete the work on the scheduled day of the cleanup.

‘Paint Your Heart Out - El Dorado’

KEB is one of the points of contact for “Paint Your Heart Out - El Dorado,” a volunteer project that has been proposed for 2019 to assist the elderly, disabled

and low-income families in sprucing up their homes.

Christopher Wasson, customer service manager for Entergy’s El Dorado office, presented the idea to the city council in May, saying then that he had participated in a similar program in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Wasson also explained that money for the project in El Dorado would

be donated by local businesses and organizations.

Volunteers would provide labor.

The estimated cost is $7,500 per house and Wasson said professional contractors would prep the houses for painting.

Minor repairs would also be included in the project and smoke detectors installed in the houses that need them, with assistance from the El Dorado Fire Department.

Teams of at least 15 people are recommended

per house on “paint day,” with a goal of wrapping up the work by noon or 1 p.m., Wasson said, adding that the target date for the scheduled workday is next May.

Wasson updated KEB members about the project last week, saying that applications are now available. He provided KEB with applications and asked the group to help find qualified candidates.

He later said 15 applications had already been submitted.

To qualify for the program,

applicants must be:

• At least 62 years old.

• Disabled.

• Low income (annual household income must be 80 percent or below the median household income for El Dorado — which is estimated between $33,725 and $38,466).

• The owner-occupant (whoever occupies the house must the owner).

• A resident of El Dorado.

Houses must structurally meet building/housing codes — local, state and federal — and have

visible signs of a need for painting and minor exterior repairs.

The project fits into KEB’s mission, which focuses on litter, recycling and beautification for the betterment of the community.

Wasson has also spoken to the newly formed Property Development Committee, which is working to rid the city of unsightly houses and lots in El Dorado, about the painting project.

The committee, which is the brainchild of McGhee, is exploring options in order to make recommendations for such properties that are being considered for condemnation by the city.

To request an application, call Wasson at 870-864-3838, Van Hook at 870-314-3481, Hammond at 870-8624503, McAdams at 870310-9798 or McGhee at 870-314-1441.

The deadline to submit applications is Dec. 31.