Mayor Jerome Prince and workers at Tuesday’s cleanup of a dumping area along 22nd Avenue in Gary

Gary partners with Cleanslate to help keep city clean

Contributed By:The 411 News

Making Gary a cleaner city won't happen just by removing debris from vacant lots and from areas with abandoned homes that have become dumping grounds. Mayor Jerome Prince says he's counting on every one to get involved.

Since taking office in January, he has shown his commitment in novel ways. Prince pushed the Gary school corporation to pursue funds to demolish some of its vacant schools. Approval came last week from the state, allowing the district to spend $25 million over the next 5 years to demolish and repair some buildings.

His office reported the owner of the long vacant Interstate Inn, once Holiday Inn, on Hwy. 12/20 had agreed to demolish the building at their own expense. And the office reported it had persuaded an individual, caught in the act of dumping construction debris near 41st and Louisiana Street to remove it instead of face prosecution.

The city's new partner to help keep Gary clean was introduced during Tuesday's cleanup of a massive dumping site that stretched for several blocks along east 22nd Avenue, from Maryland to Connecticut streets.

Mayor Prince recalled the area hadn't changed in the 20 years since he had taken office as the 5th District city councilman. He was surrounded by the men and women from the city's General Services Dept. and from Cara/Cleanslate, a Chicago-based workforce development organization that finds entry-level jobs for workers who have found it hard to gain and keep employment.

Behind them stood an abandoned VFW Post, no longer hidden by bushes and weeds. Nearby, household items and an assortment of debris that had accumulated over the years were in piles waiting to be hauled away.

Gary joins Munster as a Cleanslate partner. The organization has employee partners across Chicago. The Gary partnership calls for the creation of 25 to 35 jobs annually for Gary citizens to provide cleanup services on city streets and in commercial areas.

Sam Lovett told how he found Cleanslate after serving 5 years in a federal penitention. "I hadn't held a job in 20 years. I had no idea how I was going to join the workforce." He started as an intern 3 years ago; today he is their talent acquisition manager.

"It's not a temporary agency," said Eric Reaves, Gary's director of community investment. "Cleanslate will hire and train the workers."

Mayor Prince told the NWI Times Gary's General Services Dept. is understaffed and Cleanslate will help fill in the gap.

This is a $1.2 million investment in the city's revitalization, Mayor Prince said. "Working with an innovative group like Cara and launching Cleanslate helps us clean up our city, and just as importantly, it gives many of our residents an opportunity to build a solid work history and develop marketable skills. It's a win-win situation."

The mayor said cleanup has to be consistent and sustainable. "It has to happen every day and Cleanslate will help us do it.”


Piles of debris ready to be hauled away


The day after at cleanup site

Story Posted:07/04/2020