NORTH SIDE FESTIVAL Sweeping idea prompts group to plan cleanup

Members of several churches that surround the park are to pitch in.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The upcoming Arbor Day planted a seed. The notion of a citywide cleanup inspired the North Side Citizens' Coalition.
The result is a week of coalition-organized cleanup activities scheduled across the North Side at the end of April.
The North Side Spring Festival, as it's called, will be more work and less play.
The last week in April will be dedicated to cleaning up the neighborhoods and two of the city's largest parks, said James Boyd, the coalition's program director.
The idea is to accomplish a number of cleanups within the week to make a striking visual change, he said.
"It's a pretty simple concept," Boyd said. "Maybe we'll see it all make a difference."
City officials have talked for a few years about scheduling a citywide cleanup on a single day, which inspired the coalition to think big, he said.
Neighborhood cleanups tend to be scattered around the city through the spring and summer. A few neighborhoods streets at a time are rid of trash and tires. But the blight can remain just a few blocks away in spots that haven't been cleaned.
The spring festival schedule is tied to Arbor Day, which is the last Friday each April.
Group's goal
The coalition wants to replace, trim or otherwise improve the trees that occupy the median on Fifth Avenue. About a half-dozen oaks have died and need to be replaced, Boyd said.
That project is tentatively scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. April 30. The coalition first must consult with the city's forester before doing the work, so it's unclear if the group can plant new trees that day, Boyd added.
The North Side's week starts April 25 with a cleanup of Wick Park.
Volunteers will pick up trash and clear away debris from trees, bushes and flowers.
Besides neighbors, Boyd said the coalition expects members of congregations from several churches that surround the park to change their clothes after Sunday services and pitch in.
The week concludes May 1 with a similar cleanup of Crandall Park.
In between, block-watch groups across the North Side will schedule cleanups of their own neighborhoods, Boyd said.
The city has agreed to pick up the garbage bags and tires left behind.
Boyd isn't sure how many volunteers to expect during the week. He's hoping to have about 50 people at each of the park cleanups and about 100 volunteering with their block-watch groups during the week.
rgsmith@vindy.com