Middletown announces spring cleanup, water-system flushing, yard-waste and downtown film shoot; mayor outlines parking garage Phase 1

Susan Depew, a longtime volunteer known locally as "the litter lady," announced the dates for Middletown’s annual spring cleanup and urged residents and families to participate.

Depew told the council the event is planned for a Saturday morning in April and that she and community volunteers, including students and civic groups, have participated for years. The transcript includes inconsistent wording on the precise date during her remarks; she initially mentioned April 20 and later used April 26 and a phrase that sounded like "April 26th." The council and staff also provided a schedule of related seasonal services: a multi-week spring cleanup by ward, the start of scheduled yard-waste pickup in April, instructions for electronics drop-off, and an ongoing water-system flushing program that may cause temporary discolored water.

Why it matters: These operational services affect residents’ schedules and property preparation for spring; they also carry costs and operational limits—for example, the electronics drop-off day requires proof of residency and limits devices per household.

Key details and quotes - Annual spring cleanup: Susan Depew said the event "is going to be our yearly cleanup day for Middletown" and emphasized broad participation by parents, students and civic groups. She said the event has been ongoing since 2011. - Ward pickup schedule: Mayor DeStefano and other city staff outlined that collection proceeds ward-by-ward; the transcript indicates the Fourth Ward began the program the prior Sunday, followed by subsequent wards. Staff emphasized that if collection crews have passed a street, they will not return during that round. - Yard waste: City staff said curbside yard-waste pickup will begin in early April (the transcript references April 7); residents are asked to set material out on Sunday evenings. The meeting record cites City ordinance 407-5 for collection rules and notes yard-waste collection will continue through Nov. 7, 2025. - Electronics drop-off: Staff announced an electronics drop-off on Saturday, May 24, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DBW Recycling Center, 76 Monhagen Avenue; the event is limited to five devices per household, proof of residency is required, and air conditioners that contain Freon will incur a $25 fee and must be dropped off at the recycling center. - Water-system flushing: The city will perform flushing beginning March 31 and continuing through May 2. Staff warned residents of possible discolored water for up to 48 hours in affected neighborhoods and advised checking the city’s online notices for affected streets. - Milling and paving program: The mayor and staff said the annual milling and paving list is available by ward online; the program will begin early in the season and will cause short-term street and intersection disruptions. - Downtown film production: Maria, the city’s economic-development representative, said a film production will begin filming in downtown Middletown the following day. The project director identified in the meeting record is Matteo Messina and the producer Robert Graff; filming will close specified alleys and portions of North Street intermittently for several days and use Hope Studios on Fulton Street for interior shoots. - Parking garage Phase 1: Mayor DeStefano said the city received a $2,500,000 grant via a state senator’s office for parking-garage Phase 1. She said the lowest bids came back higher than anticipated and the overall estimated cost is about $4,000,000. Phase 1 will expand the lower Washington Street lot and South Street extension to add roughly 80–90 parking spaces, and city officials said Phase 1 is being designed to structurally support a future Phase 2, which currently lacks full funding.

Context and next steps: City staff asked residents to follow online schedules for flushing and paving and to bring electronics to the May 24 drop-off if items exceed the spring-cleanup pickup limits. For the parking garage, staff indicated contract awards and construction scheduling will follow the council’s bid-authorization action and noted further grant-seeking for Phase 2 will continue.

Ending: City officials closed the agenda item by reminding residents to check the city website for ward-specific schedules and to coordinate drop-offs at the recycling center; no formal public-comment controversy or votes were recorded on these operational items during the meeting.