2/23/11
You can't miss it: litter on the streets, weeds in the sidewalks and gutters, dead leaves choking the sewer grates. Since budget constraints forced the city to cut out street-sweeping, citizens have been scorching city hall telephone lines with complaints that Eureka's streets are looking increasingly down-at-the-mouth. The thing about complaints is that they're a dime a dozen. No longer can we count on the city, with its limited resources, to fix this. If we want to protect the economic vitality of our commercial areas and property values in our residential areas we need to do it ourselves. If we want to protect Humboldt Bay from polluted runoff that threatens fishing and public health, we need to do it ourselves. No one but us will take responsibility for keeping our streets and sidewalks free of weeds and litter. It will take a little elbow work but we will all reap the rewards:
Keeping our commercial areas vital: Shoppers avoid areas that seem run down.
Keeping property values up: Littered streets undermine homeowners' equity.
Controlling crime: Criminals are drawn to areas where it looks like no one cares.
Controlling taxpayer costs: City crews use scarce resources when forced to free stopped drains during rainy season.
Keeping pollutants from running into the bay: Pesticides and fertilizers in landscaping debris leach into our rivers and bay through stormwater runoff, threatening habitat for our fisheries.
There's nothing complicated about it. We just need to roll up our sleeves and do it:
Weed our sidewalks and gutters to keep them neat and prevent them from catching paper and plastic debris.
Sweep leaves off the sidewalk and gutters, using them for mulch in landscaped areas or in compost piles or bins.
Pick up any litter around the house. Do a litter check when putting out the garbage can.
Pick up litter when walking. Carrying an extra plastic bag makes this easy.
If just a few of us do it, it will help. If a whole lot of us did it, it would be awesome. We can do it, Eurekans! Michele McKeegan is president of Keep Eureka Beautiful.
