Ward 1 cleanup to be held Saturday

The details have been finalized and volunteer teams secured for the last quarterly, community cleanup of the year in El Dorado.

Keep El Dorado Beautiful, Clean Harbors and other local groups have teamed up to coordinate a cleanup in Ward 1.

Volunteers will gather at Mellor Park at 8:30 a.m. Saturday to sign in, receive their cleanup assignments and pick up supplies.

Groups will return to Mellor Park at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and cash-award presentations, said Janis Van Hook, president of KEB.

Van Hook said 10 teams have committed to the cleanup, noting that some also participated in cleanups that have been held in other wards this year.

To encourage more people to organize and participate in quarterly cleanups for each of the city’s four wards, Clean Harbors offered cash incentives to volunteer teams that has at least 10 members.

A total of $8,700 has been doled out so far, and Van Hook said 10 teams will each receive $300 Saturday.

Van Hook said several teams will be making return appearances for the Ward 1 cleanup, while a couple of new volunteer teams, including a couple of church groups who have not participated in any of the 2018 ward cleanups this year, have signed on for Saturday.

Volunteers are asked to arrive at Mellor Park with sign-up sheets completed, listing the names of all team members.

“It’ll help speed things up, and we won’t have to fill out everyone’s names,” Van Hook said.

After teams fan out throughout the ward to pick up litter in their assigned areas, they will return to Mellor Park for check presentations.

Van Hook reiterated that all teams must complete the work Saturday and all team members must be present — during the cleanup and the return to Mellor Park afterward — to receive cash awards.

Ward 1 will be last ward to host a community cleanup this year in response to a call for the quarterly cleanups by KEB and Clean Harbors.

KEB opted for the quarterly events, switching from citywide cleanups that were previously held in the fall and spring.

For the first three cleanups of the year, El Dorado City Council members coordinated the events in their respective wards.

Ward 3 took the first cleanup on May 12 and Ward 4 followed on June 23.

After taking a break for the summer, KEB and city officials resumed the cleanups last month in Ward 2.

KEB and Clean Harbors took the reins in organizing the cleanup for Ward 1, reaching out to groups and individuals within the ward to set a date before Oct. 31, the final day of the annual Great Arkansas Cleanup.

The statewide event is held each September and October with hundreds of volunteers planning major cleanups across Arkansas.

The Ward 1 cleanup, as with the others, will be recorded with Keep Arkansas Beautiful.

Keep Arkansas Beautiful promotes the Great Arkansas Cleanup and the annual Great American Cleanup, which takes place nationwide each spring.

The nation’s largest community improvement initiative celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

KEB is a local affiliate of Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful.

She said KEB and Clean Harbors will hold follow-up discussions after the Ward 1 cleanup to gauge the success of the cash-incentive program and see if it will continue in 2019.

While all of the slots are filled for volunteer teams to receive cash awards Saturday, Van Hook said that anyone who would like to participate in the cleanup is welcome.

For more information, call Van Hook at 870-314-3481.