Residents press council for earlier weed spraying, two spring cleanups; council approves vendor for flower baskets

Volunteers who organized a town cleanup effort told the Cleveland Town Council on March 13 they want two cleanup days this spring and clearer coordination with town staff on weed spraying, watering and flower planting.

Liz Harvey, one of the cleanup organizers, described an "adopt-a-spot" program that recruited residents to maintain sidewalks, curbs and planters. She and other volunteers asked the council for two early spring dates—an April cleanup to precede Memorial Day and the town's May 3 highway cleanup—so the community can prepare Main Street and other public areas in time for summer events.

Volunteers raised specific operational concerns: the timing and frequency of sidewalk weed spraying, watering schedules for flower baskets, the composition of prefilled planters and how to avoid duplicate work between volunteers and town crews. Volunteers recommended using three petunia plants per individual insert (rather than the larger mixes used previously) to reduce cost and improve establishment in the town's climate.

"Three petunias in each of those pots is plenty," Liz Harvey said during public comment, citing last year's experience with potato vines that froze and plantings that were not yet established when placed in planters.

Council staff presented two vendor price options for planted 18-inch inserts. United Lawn and Landscaping offered to provide a higher-performing petunia variety (described by staff as similar to Huntington's displays) for about $35 per pot; another provider quoted about $45 per pot. The council voted to contract with United Lawn and Landscaping for the town's 2025 planters.

Volunteers also flagged recurring blight and nuisance yards and the town's dumpster area near the cemetery, asking the council what steps the town could take. Councilors discussed legal limits on private-property enforcement, the cost and social consequences of code enforcement and nonpunitive outreach options; they encouraged volunteers to offer assistance to property owners in distress and to coordinate adopt-a-spot mapping and publicity.

Council and volunteers agreed to two spring cleanup dates: a volunteer event on Friday, April 11 (afternoon start), and a larger cleanup tied to the Highway 1 roadside effort on Saturday, May 3, at 8 a.m. The council also agreed to publish a cleanup flyer, include adopt-a-spot information in billing and on the town Facebook page and explore a phone- or text-based notification list for volunteers.

The council did not allocate new town funds at the meeting for cleanups; it approved the flower vendor on a motion and carried the motion by voice vote.