Oak Park strives for clean image
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

Oak Park residents will clear their streets and trails from 8 to 11 a.m. Sat., March 24, as part of the first community-wide clean-up day.

Residents are invited to participate by meeting at their neighborhood Oak Park school at 8 a.m. to pick up trash bags, gloves and maps. All schools are serving as meeting points including Brookside, Oak Hills and Red Oak elementary schools, Medea Creek Middle School and Oak Park High School.

"This is one of my hot buttons. I walk around and see the broken bottles and trash on the trails in and around the schools. It just annoys me," said Mike Green, a member of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council, which is helping to organize the event. "We live in such a gorgeous area. Why do people have to throw their trash around?"

Participants will collect bottles, cups, bags, candy wrappers and other trash on trails, sidewalks, bushes and curbs, but not on medians in the center of Kanan Road for safety reasons, Green said.

Once trash bags are filled they can be tied up and left on street corners for pick up by Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District by noon. Bags will be disposed of in large trash bins provided by Waste Management at Oak Park High.

The event is different from the annual Oak Park Beautification Day, to be held on May 5, in which residents can dispose of electronics and other household items, Green said.

The idea for a cleanup day originated with someone who does not live in Oak Park. Jeri Edwards of North Ranch often finds trash on Oak Park streets and trails while out hiking. Alarmed by the increasing amount of garbage she was finding, especially in areas surrounding schools, Edwards approached the MAC to appeal for help in curbing the discarded trash in the community.

"I think a lot of people feel the same way I do, that we live in a very special area, surrounded by the natural beauty of open space and an abundance of trails," Edwards said. "I'm trying to help encourage a sense of community . . . and it's a great way to help set an example for the students, and they themselves will be setting examples for their friends."

Much of the trash is near Oak Park schools, so Edwards and Green contacted Oak Park Unified School District Superintendent Tony Knight to enlist the help of students.

"We have tremendous support from all the schools and the PTAs," Green said. "Tony Knight is a champion of this event."

Trash bags have been donated by Oak Park MAC member Deena Parry. Resident Mark Rauch of Snap-on Tools donated 150 pairs of latex gloves, according to Green, and water bottles are being provided by Carol Lee of Coldwell Banker and Stephenson Fitness in Oak Park.

"We need lots of volunteers, kids, parents, everybody out to clean up the trails and the schools," Green said.

To volunteer or to donate water or refreshments, contact Edwards at nyjes@aol.com or Green at ftbref825@sbcglobal.net.