Mayor Prince returned with a load of trash collected at I-65 and Highway 20
City employees take to the streets for All-In Gary! cleanup campaign
Contributed By:The 411 News
Mayor Prince and his teams spread the message to keep the city clean
The remaining walls of the building at 25th and Broadway were no match for the demolition tractor operated by Mayor Jerome Prince at Thursday's kick off of “All-In Gary!” – the city's Summer cleanup campaign. Taking only a few swipes at the building, Mayor Prince then turned the job over to the experts.
"Today we're tearing down the remaining portions of this old pool hall. It was a staple in the community, but for a decade or so it's been an eyesore like so many other structures in the city," the mayor said.
The mayor's one-two punch on Thursday was the symbolic start to 2 days of cleanup and beautification efforts that came on Friday and Saturday by city employees and community members.
Mayor Prince said, "We're going to tear it down as a symbol of what we all want -- a cleaner, safer city. We want our younger people to come home and take pride in our city. We are doing more than just tearing down a facility. What we are doing is a symbol of building the city up. We want our businesses and visitors to understand they're welcome here."
Over the next few weeks and throughout the remainder of the year, Mayor Prince said, "You are going to see every 2 weeks, 2 sites or more how it is continuing. This is something we need to do every day."
City employees, assisted by businesses and volunteers, took the first day of cleanup.
Friday morning, the grounds around Gary's city hall were a sea of employees wearing gold t-shirts with the Re-Imagine Gary logo. It became the staging area as teams from city departments confirmed their assignments and gathered clean-up gear from Rachelle Morgan-Ceasar, Director of the Mayor's Office of Constituent Services and Raven Hall, Deputy Director of General Services.
Public works vehicles waited along the perimeter of city hall, ready to follow their teams.
Teams left with brooms and rakes, trash pickup sticks and bags, gloves and, Hall added, "a General Services employee included with each team to show how to safely pick up trash and debris."
Morgan-Ceasar said Friday's targets were the Broadway corridor from 2nd to 11th Avenue and other main entrances to the city. Teams headed to the GPTC Transportation Center and Gateway Park. Mayor Prince and his team were assigned the intersection of I-65 and Hwy. 20.
The Recycling Department went to the Genesis Center with lawn mowers and weed whackers. The Gary Health Department started at 5th and Massachusetts and headed south.
The Dept. of Green Urbanism took on the task of replenishing the flower planters along Broadway. The Redevelopment Department replaced panels on boarded up buildings. Gary Sanitary District cleaned a large vacant lot at 11th Avenue and Massachusetts.
The mayor returned from his site with a load of trash. "We are going to put some cameras up at that location, catch a couple of people, and share the message. People stop at that light and throw stuff out their windows. It sounds crazy but I don't think a cigarette butt or anything should be on the ground."
Jana Smith of the Gary Health Dept. cleans up at 5th Avenue and Massachusetts
Redevelopment Department’s Donald Wise (left) and Cedric Kuykendall replace boards on an abandoned building on Broadway
Gary Sanitary District employees clean up a vacant lot on 11th Avenue, left-right, Willie Lee, Anthony Rouse, Calvin Key, Adrian Gamble, and Michael Mays. Not shown is Herman Ezell
Story Posted:05/15/2022
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