Third time’s the charm:

Community cleanup rescheduled for March 20

Hopefully, the third time is the charm.

Weather permitting, the Ward 3 Community Cleanup will go on as planned — from 9 until 11 a.m. next Saturday, March 20.

The cleanup will commemorate the legacies of two notable Ward 3 residents and former El Dorado City Council members, Jimmy Reed Jr. and Tony Henry, both of whom championed neighborhood beautification and were known for their service to the community.

Initially, two separate cleanups were scheduled in Ward 3 for the first quarter of the year.

The Tony Henry Ward 3 Community Cleanup was set for Feb. 20, but winter storms that swept through the area mid-month and dumped several inches of snow and ice on the ground forced organizers to reschedule the cleanup for Feb. 27.

Inclement weather again came into play, this time with heavy rain, and organizers agreed to combine the Tony Henry cleanup with another that had been scheduled in honor of Reed on March 20.

Both Reed and Henry died while serving in the Ward 3, Position 2 city council seat.

Reed, the first African American to serve on the El Dorado School Board and a founder of the El Dorado Pride and Progress Club, died in 2009 at the age of 68.

Henry died in 2018 at the age of 58. Both men passed due to illness.

Reed’s nephew, Council Member Andre Rucks, now occupies his uncle’s former seat as representative of Ward 3, Position 2.

The Ward 3 cleanup is the first to be held as part of the city’s new Ward Rewards initiative, which is designed to encourage area residents to coordinate community cleanups throughout the year by offering incentives, including gift cards/certificates, to volunteers.

Mayor Veronica SmithCreer said the city is exploring other ideas, such as contests for best yard, most trash collected, etc.

Ward Rewards resulted from ongoing conversations during recent El Dorado

City Council meetings. Ward 3 council members Rucks and Willie McGhee emphasized that all wards in the city need attention.

They noted that Ward 3, the largest of the city’s four wards, has an expansive coverage area.

Smith-Creer said Ward Rewards was also created with the hopes of inspiring friendly competition among neighborhoods across the city and building a sustainable, citywide cleanup campaign that is driven by local residents, groups and organizations and the business community.

The program complements the mission of Keep El Dorado Beautiful, which was co-founded by Henry in 2013 with a goal of providing local residents with assistance and educating them on available tools and resources to help keep the city clean.

KEB focuses on litter, recycling and beautification.

The group has worked with city council members and other groups and individuals to help coordinate community cleanups.

With help from Clean Harbors — where Henry worked as feed planner supervisor —, KEB has offered cash incentives to volunteer groups who participated in cleanups in each of the city’s four wards.

Henry was instrumental in getting Clean Harbors, located in Ward 3, on board with KEB. Dan Roblee, general manager of Clean Harbor’s El Dorado facility, serves as a member of KEB.

Janis Van Hook, president of KEB, has said the group will help with the Ward Rewards program in any way it can.

McGhee previously said that he and Henry, a longtime friend and “brother”, had worked together to help clean Ward 3 for years, even before Henry was initially elected to city council in 2009 to fill the Ward 3, Position 2 vacancy that was left by the passing of Reed.

The pair organized volunteers and targeted specific areas in Ward 3 to clean twice a month, Mc-Ghee recalled.

“One week, we would be in Murmil Heights. Another week, we would be in (the Fairview Addition) and then we would go to Marrable Hill,” said McGhee, who holds the Ward 3, Position 1 council seat.

Prior to the postponements of the Tony Henry cleanup in February, Smith-Creer and event coordinator Kensel Spivey-Green, who also previously served as a Ward 3, Position 2 council member, said the event had generated interest throughout the community from individuals, groups, organizations and businesses who were looking to volunteer to hit the streets or offer sponsorships.

Smith-Creer said she hopes that enthusiasm continues through to Saturday, adding that organizers are also hoping for clear skies, she said.

“I hope it is a first of many (cleanup projects) as a part of our Ward Rewards! I would like to see our city take a collective stance on beautification,” the mayor said.

Groups who are interested in participating in the cleanup may sign up by calling Smith-Creer at 870862-7911 or 870-315-0004; McGhee at 870-314-1441; Rucks at 870-312-6873; or Spivey-Green at 870-9187674.

Volunteers can also sign in Saturday at one of 10 checkpoints, where they will receive assignments for streets to be cleaned and pick up supplies. Checkpoints include:

• Mattocks Park, Detroit and Sharp streets.

• Starlight Baptist Church, 1406 Detroit.

• St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 1018 Wilson.

• New Bethel Baptist Church, 800 S. Smith.

• The former site of the Southside Elementary School, South Jackson and Pecan.

• Murmil Education Center, 2000 Ripley.

• Marrable Hill Chapel, 110 E. Chapel.

• St. James Village Outreach Facility, 1108 E. Hillsboro.

• The former site of Pine Tree Motel, Junction City Road and Oliver Avenue.

• CARSTAR Laneys Collision Center, 916 E. Hillsboro.

• New Bethel Baptist Church, 800 S. Smith.