Tag Archive for: clean up

New Albany Main Street plans county-wide cleanup effort July 31

 

Summer Clean Sweep!

On Saturday, July 31, the New Albany Main Street Association is calling for volunteers to meet at the Union County Heritage Museum by 9 a.m. where they will distribute garbage bags and assign groups to specific streets or areas for litter removal (however, if you already have an area in mind, you’re welcome to forgo an assignment!).

Volunteers throughout Union County will be asked to remove litter from city and county roads and public spaces until 12 p.m. at which time the Union County Development Association will be providing lunch for volunteers.

This city- and county-wide cleanup event is registered with the Keep America Beautiful and the Great American Cleanup.

Emily Draffen, who has been managing the New Albany Adopt-a-Street program, will be reporting to Keep America Beautiful on how many volunteers participate, how much of the county volunteers are able to cover, and how many bags of trash volunteers collect.

Keep New Albany & Union County Beautiful is on Facebook at @keepnaanducbeautiful and Instagram at @keepnaanducbeautiful and volunteers are encouraged to follow and engage with these accounts, tagging them in any posts or photos of trash picked up.

“We want to encourage coming together as a community and taking care of our county. We’ve got a truly special area here and it’s on us to be good stewards,” she said.

Volunteers are encouraged to call the Main Street office at (662) 534-3438 with any questions about the event. “Mark your calendars now and please make plans to join the Summer Clean Sweep event,” she said.

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City wants to make riverbank more attractive

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Motorists driving across the Tallahatchie River bridge downtown may have noticed some difference in the appearance of the riverbanks to the south.

Mayor Tim Kent said city crews have been removing trees and cleaning the banks to make the area more attractive.

For years, the river has been considered something of an eyesore in comparison to the two parks due to the trees and uncontrolled undergrowth. However, the river is under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Corps of Engineers and it was thought in the past that the Corps would not improve the area or allow work on it.

Mayor Kent said that is no longer true.

He has received permission to clear the bank and top as long as tree stumps are not removed and nothing is done to destabilize the soil close to the river, causing erosion.

Apparently the Corps also has no interest in the large concrete control devices that look like World War II tank traps in the river, and they can be removed.

Also, when the new wastewater treatment plant north of the city is ready for use, the large pipe that runs above the river south of the Bankhead Street bridge can be removed, along with the unsightly concrete manhole structure that rise out of the ground in the river and park area.

Once the riverbank is better cleaned, Kent said he would like to see a river walk constructed beside the river in the park area.

A further goal would be to construct a weir dam across the river south of Bratton Road. A weir dam is a relatively low device designed to raise the water level upstream and an adjustable dam could help keep the water level at the downtown park at 18 inches or more, making it useable for canoeing more often.

There is no timeline for various projects since most of the work will depend on obtaining funding. However, the National Parks Service has apparently expressed interest in the area and could help.

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