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Cleveland Cleanup: volunteers, schedule and safety guidance discussed ahead of town-wide maintenance day
Summary
Volunteers and council members reviewed plans for a town cleanup scheduled the day after the meeting, discussed weed-spraying dates, volunteer sign-in, garbage bag distribution and coordination with the special service district; councilors also flagged county-owned areas and persistent junk/vehicle ordinance violations.
Organizers and council members spent much of the April 10 meeting detailing plans for a Cleveland town-wide cleanup scheduled for the day after the meeting.
Cleanup organizers told the council volunteers will focus on Main Street, State Street if manpower allows, and high-priority blocks identified with stars on the organizers' map. The group said garbage bags will be available at the town hall when volunteers sign in and that several residents and ward groups have pledged people to help. Volunteers were reminded to bring sunblock, water, gloves and tools.
Organizers and councilors discussed coordination details: a group-text or phone-tree will be used for reminders, and the town will run a pickup route to collect filled trash bags and take them to the dumpster. Several volunteers offered to bring trucks to haul collected trash.
The council and volunteers also discussed weed control: a weed-spray contractor is scheduled for April 15; organizers said they would verify the contractor's recommended follow-up schedule and confirm whether the product is a sterilizer, which would affect subsequent plant growth. The council noted the difference between a one-time weed spray and a sterilizer and asked staff to check the contractor's treatment schedule.
Organizers asked whether a backhoe could be available to remove two large piles of debris behind the tennis court and behind the playground; council staff said they would inspect those locations and determine whether heavy equipment could be deployed. Volunteers also raised areas of town property that need ongoing attention, including a messy fenced area near a salt shed and piles of stored material that may require further action beyond the cleanup day.
Volunteers and councilors discussed recordkeeping: the group wants to track volunteer hours and work locations in a spreadsheet to support grant applications and to maintain a log of hours worked; the council agreed this would help when applying for grants or reporting volunteer contributions.
Participants also raised enforcement and property-maintenance topics. The council was asked about properties with junk vehicles or trailers blocking sidewalks; staff said letters can be sent under town ordinances but that enforcement should be applied consistently across properties. Some cleanup tasks involve county-owned land (limbs/trees across the town boundary) and will require coordination with county commissioners.
No formal votes were taken; the discussion resulted in logistics and direction for the cleanup scheduled the following day.
