Spring cleanup at Fitchburg park

FITCHBURG — Two city residents joined Ward 3 City Councilor Joe Bowen for an early season spring cleanup at Caldwell Street Park not too long ago.

“What began as a check on a discarded mattress and a pair of chairs revealed broader issues — scattered litter along the roadside, fallen branches, a damaged trash cart, a broken recycling cart, and a downed street sign,” Bowen said of what inspired them to go out on March 15.

Despite the cold and lingering snow that Sunday, Ward 3 residents Bob Baron, a longtime cleanup volunteer, and Miguel Pedraza, who Bowen said, “is new to the neighborhood with a desire to help,” pitched in to do full sweep of the park together. Bowen reported that the city Department of Public Works and Board of Health “have been notified about removal of debris and repair or replacement of the damaged carts.”

“The effort shows how much can be accomplished when neighbors step forward,” he said of the three of them joining forces for the greater good.

Bowen went on to say he is usually joined by several volunteers most weekends in April and May to “target areas around the city,” and that for Ward 3 specifically, he will be “seeking areas of focus for not only our ward cleanup day, but throughout the spring season.”

While they city wide spring cleanup schedule hasn’t been posted yet, Bowen urged residents interested in joining upcoming efforts to follow Keep Fitchburg Beautiful on Facebook or contact him at 978-868-3772 or [email protected].