Before photo of clean up in the 900 block of West Clay Avenue. Courtesy photos.
Event previews ‘Make a Difference’ Day on Oct. 25
FLAGSTAFF — Neighbors beat back overhanging bushes and trees, weeded, swept and picked up trash throughout La Plaza Vieja on Saturday, Oct. 18, the City of Flagstaff reported in a media release. Like most neighborhoods in Flagstaff, the monsoon rains nourish plants and make for lush front yards. The downside is the impacts to sidewalks, pedestrians and cyclists.
“We want our neighborhood to be seen city-wide as a safe place to walk and ride a bicycle,” said Laura Bustamonte-Meyers, neighborhood outreach director. The neighborhood gets together for a clean-up weekend twice a year. This year, the neighborhood focused on making sidewalks clear and safe. Volunteers were able to clear every sidewalk in the neighborhood in less than 3 hours.
After photo of clean up in the 900 block of West Clay Avenue.
“It’s important to work together, so our residents can take pride in their homes and neighborhood. Sidewalks are the thread that knits a neighborhood together,” she said.
The city conducted a walkability audit of the neighborhood in 2012 and found that vegetation and sidewalk condition was a barrier to pedestrian safety.
“We are really proud of the work that the neighborhood has done. They are the first neighborhood in Flagstaff to fully clear their sidewalks and they did it as a community,” said Tom Boughner, the city’s Code compliance manager. “We hope this is a model that other neighborhoods and citizens will follow in the future.”
Photo of clean up on Florence Avenue.
Next weekend, Oct. 25, is “Make a Difference” Day, the largest national day of community service. Volunteer in your neighborhood, or you can volunteer at an event hosted by the City’s Storm water Division at Old Town Springs. To sign-up in advance as a volunteer, contact Kyle Brown at kbrown@flagstaffaz.gov or (928) 606-7246 drop-ins are welcome.
Please bring water, hat, work gloves, sturdy shoes, and tools (shovel, rakes), city officials reported. Some tools will be provided. Friends of Flagstaff’s Future will provide a craft table for kids, so bring the whole family.