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T&C Garden Club Gets Trashy |
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Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
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 Gwen Sisson/SDN Charlotte Harding of the Town & Country Garden Club planting a trailing Carolina Jessamine in the arbor at the entrance to the parking lot. By Gwen Sisson
Starkville Daily News
But before you jump to any conclusions, these are some of the classiest ladies in Starkville, but they are ‘fed-up’ with litter.
Once a month, the members of Town and Country Garden Club go to the city parking lot behind Starkville Cafe and clean out the cigarette butts, cups, bottles and other trash thrown out on the ground after a weekend of concerts and parties.
They are armed with trash bags and gloves. It takes a good part of the morning to clean up after revelers.
Dinah Clark of Town and Country Garden Club said the club goes once a month to sweep, pick up trash, plant flowers, and groom existing shrubs. And the before and after pictures say a thousand words.
“We put hundreds of hours into this service, but the monthly work being done is not worth the effort without the help of our city leaders and the property owners,” Clark said.
“It is horrendous,” said Ginger Jones, T&C Garden Club member. “There are always lots of cigarette butts and beer bottles, and the thing is, there are trash receptacles everywhere. It is a matter of taking care of their own trash.”
Jones cited a lack of personal responsibility as a major cause for litter. And it is the hot topic for Town and Country Garden Club, who want to make Starkville a more beautiful place to live.
Mayor Dan Camp said he would like to see other groups take up the beautification and clean up effort for a better quality of life in the city of Starkville.
“I believe we are doing a good job on the government level with the basics, but it comes down to money,” Camp said. “We do what we can with the money available and we have to rely on volunteers to alleviate some of that burden. I would like to see volunteer organizations take upon themselves to keep difficult areas picked up for the betterment of the community.”
Camp said the parking lot behind Starkville Cafe is a prime area for litter, and the Foodmax parking lot and Wood Street are additional areas where people tend to litter. The flimsy plastic bags from the grocery store lot do fly into the public right of way, causing the area to be a litter problem.
Camp said the city doesn’t have the funds to hire people at $8 an hour to pick up trash. Businesses and volunteers are needed to help in the clean-up effort. But minimizing litter on a personal level will be a wonderful first step.
A clean and attractive community makes a difference at home and the town’s perception state-wide. It is also important in recruiting new business and industry to this area.
“A litter-free community is extremely important (in economic development),” said Chance McDavid of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. “It is an indication of local pride and definitely plays a role in helping business prospects form what we hope is a positive first impression.”
To get the community involved and aware that they are having “guests” in for the football season, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, through their Community Appearance Committee, hold an annual Get Swept Up! campaign in August before the first MSU home football game. Last year, Get Swept Up! had a record number of participants to sign up on teams to clean up the streets.
“It is important for the community to have a beautification committee charged with finding ways to improve the city’s appearance by bringing awareness to and creating solutions for issues related to litter bins, tall grass and brush, dilapidated buildings, and other concerns that detract from a community’s overall aesthetics,” McDavid said. “Resident awareness of ordinances and the importance of a clean community should always be a top priority.”
Camp said it is the little details that make make the whole city look better and feel cleaner.
“Starkville is a nice looking little place,” Camp said. “We are bigger than the average community in Mississippi and it is important to feel good about where we live.”
Personal responsibility is a big first step in making a positive change in the city of Starkville, Oktibbeha County, and the state of Mississippi. McDavid gives us a few things we can do to make our corner of the world a little cleaner.
• Using a small litter bag and ashtray in your vehicle are two simple steps residents can take to make our community cleaner and more attractive.
• Even cigarette butts that build up over time can be extremely unsightly, especially at intersections.
• Explain to children early the important of not littering. Littering won’t likely become a habit if the behavior isn’t tolerated in the first place.
• Don’t throw light weight items in the back of vehicles that will likely blow out onto the roadside.
• Keep grass and brush mown regularly. Clear brush from fencerows and ditch banks.
• Eliminate piles of junk.
McDavid said if everyone follows simple steps consistently, a greater impact can be expected.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 May 2008 )
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