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Residents urge Shelton officials for more street cleanup as anti-litter committee grows
Summary
Members of Shelton’s anti-litter committee told the Board of Aldermen the town needs more manpower, better coordination with state agencies on state roadways and fixes to downtown street-cleaning equipment, and they asked the city to use available funds and programs to respond.
Ken Chersky, a member of Shelton’s anti-litter committee, told the Board of Aldermen that the committee has reached full membership for the first time in 18 years and urged the city to respond to growing roadside litter.
Chersky said the committee is a coordinator rather than a crew that cleans streets and requested targeted help on dangerous roadways, citing Nells Rock Road and Mill Street as places where residents cannot safely pick up trash. He asked the city to deploy town crews or police escorts for cleanup and to consider using Neighborhood Initiative Program (NIP) funds for beautification work.
"I would say from the litter we see on city streets from firsthand that I see, 70% of it's fast food, wrappers, cups, and such from fast food," Chersky said, describing the types of waste volunteers encounter. He also listed energy drink cans, liquor bottles and vaping product debris as common roadside trash.
Chersky praised Highway and Bridges and Parks and Recreation staff for maintaining 18 town trash cans and for responding to cleanup requests, and he said volunteer groups collected more than 100 bags of garbage in the previous month. He asked the city for clearer points of contact for state roads and for faster fixes to the downtown street sweeper, which residents reported as broken.
Mayor Loretti said the city has used state NIP funding for litter cleanup over the past two years and invited the anti-litter committee to submit specific recommendations, personnel needs or proposals for summer help so the administration can put resources in motion. He said arrangements have been made in the past to have police or public works vehicles accompany volunteer crews in hazardous locations.
The committee asked the board to prioritize pickups on Mill Street and Nells Rock Road, to identify a state contact when state-maintained ramps and on/off-ramps become hazardous, and to provide updates about the town’s street-sweeping schedule and equipment status.
Chersky closed by asking the city to re-energize abandoned programs such as adopt-a-garden and by offering simple awareness ideas such as a “Help Shelton Shine” flag campaign.
The board did not take a separate vote on additional funding during the meeting but later approved appointments to the anti-litter committee as part of the regular agenda.
