If you see trash, pick it up. That was the message as volunteers spread out across Second Avenue Friday morning to clean-up one of the City’s most well-travelled roadways.
Jim Woodcock, the Community Safety Coordinator for the City of Prince Albert, led a team of volunteers up and down the street picking up garbage and beautifying the area. He said this is something they’ve wanted to do for a while.
““We’ve had some discussions with councillors and business owners about wanting to improve the general appearance of Second Avenue,” he said. “Our goal this year was to get out nice and early before summer started and start working on it. It’s the main thoroughfare through the City, so everyone coming through the City, this is their window to PA.”
Woodcock led a team of about seven or eight volunteers. His group and others worked picking up trash and debris before stopping at noon. As part of the Campaign, the clean-up ended at the Tourism Center and for a community barbecue.
Woodcock said the goal is to make sure Prince Albert leaves a good impression, since Second Avenue is the main road through the city.
“Anyone who’s coming through to go to the lake, to go to northern Saskatchewan, to go do whatever, comes down Second,” he said. “The better we make Second, the better, I think, it reflects on the City as a whole.”
Woodcock said business owners and employees have been helping out during the week in anticipation of Friday’s cleanup. He’s glad to see so many pitch in and help.
“It’s our city, and it promotes a little bit of pride when you see people out and cleaning,” he said.
Ideally, cleaning up Second Avenue will become a regular thing. Woodcock said they’re hoping to get service clubs, community groups, and sports teams involved by offering an honorarium to pick up garbage and debris on a weekend during the summer.
He’s hoping those efforts will snowball, and residents will do more and more to keep Second Avenue clean.
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” he said.
–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
