By Neena Strichart
Saturday morning came awfully early last week as Steve and I headed out for the office to get ready for the Signal Hill Mayor’s Cleanup. The last go-round (in May) neatened the area near Discovery Well Park while this time we were blessed with a sprucing up of the property near our office. City staff met us bright and early as we set up the tent-like shelter, folding chairs and tables for sign-ups, necessary tools and yummy refreshments. Folks started arriving right on time, 8am, and began spreading out with trash on their minds. Two hours later we had a lot of tired volunteers and three dumpsters full of miscellaneous trash. It was unbelievable how much work was accomplished in just 120 minutes. Our clean-up crew was kept hydrated with water and coffee, and donated donuts helped keep the workers on task with a sugar rush that kept them fueled.
Here’s an account of the event according to Signal Hill’s City Planner Gary Jones!
It was a very hot day, but that didn’t discourage the more than 35 Signal Hill and Long Beach volunteers from turning out for the second of three scheduled Mayor’s Cleanups. The Signal Tribune newspaper offices served as the headquarters for the event that was organized by the Signal Hill Community Development Department to address illegal dumping of trash and debris in the Westside industrial area located between Atlantic and California Avenue north of Willow Street. Notable participants included Signal Hill Mayor Ellen Ward and Councilperson Larry Forester, and Long Beach 7th District Councilperson Tonia Reyes Uranga and her husband Roberto, Signal Hill Planning Commissioner Jane Fallon, Signal Hill Civil Service Commissioner Steve Strichart, and Signal Hill Parks and Recreation Commissioner Gary Dudley. It’s a Grind coffee shop located in the Town Center East shopping center in Signal Hill donated coffee to complimentary doughnuts provided by Lopez Engineering, along with the tools of the cleanup trade: trash bags, plastic gloves and mechanical grabbers. Oil Operators, Inc. and Signal Hill Petroleum sponsored newspaper ads in the Signal Tribune to promote the event. Signal Hill Disposal Company provided three big trash bins for the event which volunteers quickly filled with discarded mattresses, couches and all manner of debris. With many hands to help the work went fast leaving time for the volunteers to reacquaint with old friends and make some new ones. Mayor Ward expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the show of support in the community, especially those from the Long Beach 7th District, and reminded all that the next Mayor’s Cleanup Champaign is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, from 8:30am to 10:30am. Contact the Community Development Department at (562) 989-7345 for more information.
