Neighborhood Cleanup Program Is Set For April
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A collaborative effort to clean up areas of the city of Jamestown has set its first event of 2021.
Gina Paradis, Chautauqua County Land Bank Corp., told The Post-Journal the first event of the Hands On Jamestown Neighborhoods will be held in April, with a focus on the west side of North Main Street between Fifth and 11th streets. She said this is the first of seven neighborhood cleanup events that will be held this year. She added the second cleanup event will be held and May, with a focus on the downtown business area. The specific dates of the two cleanup events will be announced at a future date.
"We're trying to empower community members to come together," she said. "Basically what we want to do is from these events see grassroots organizations form and do their own cleanup."
The collaborative effort will include the city of Jamestown, which includes the Development Department, mayor's office, Jamestown Police Department, Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department, the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and the Jamestown CIty Council Housing Committee. The collaborative effort will also include the Jamestown Renaissance Corp. and local churches.
Paradis said the Hands On Jamestown Neighborhoods group held its first meeting Feb. 25 to discuss what will be done this year. She said close to 20 people attended the meeting.
"It involves people from area churches, civic organizations and various departments of the city and the (Jamestown Board of Public Utilities)," she said. "We went through the program overview and we outlined the neighborhoods we're going to focus on."
Last fall, there was a neighborhood clean up program in the Forest Heights area that was held by the Zion Covenant Church, which also included the city of Jamestown, Jamestown Renaissance Corp., Jamestown Public Schools teachers and Chautauqua County Land Bank Corp. There were about 35 volunteers, including Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and Jeff Russell, At-Large city councilman.
In other business, the land bank held its annual meeting and elected Chautauqua County Legislator John Hemmer, R-Westfield, as chairman of the board. Other elected members include Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency CEO Mark Geise as vice chairman; Nicole May as secretary; Diane Hannum as treasurer; and Hugh Butler as assistant secretary.