VOLUNTEERS HIT STREETS TO CLEANUP; EFFORT KICKS OFF IN SOUTHEASTERN ZONE

About 45 volunteers hit the streets of southeast Cape Girardeau Saturday to pick up litter.

The cleanup activity was part of the Community Investment in Cape Girardeau beautification project, spearheaded by City Councilmen Melvin Gateley and Doug Richards.

Volunteers arrived Saturday morning at the Old St. Francis Hospital and headed out with trash bags to collect trash from the streets.

"This is a cleanup day," said Gateley. "We are getting citizens involved in picking up the litter."

Eight teams of four and five people started out at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and were finished policing the area by 10 a.m. Monday morning, city crews will pick up the filled trash bags.

Both Gateley and Richards said they were pleased with the turnout Saturday.

"We're delighted," said Gateley. "We'd like to see the whole community come out. But we have a great group this morning. People have really responded."

Richards said, "I think the turn-out was real good. It shows that if we make an effort, people will respond."

A number of groups, including Breakfast Optimists, Boy Scouts, Sierra Club, and Mercantile Bank, as well as individuals volunteered their time.

Now that a core of volunteers is in place in the southeast section of town, attention will be shifted to the Red Star area in northeast Cape Girardeau.

Richards said, "We struggled getting this started, but we have continuously picked up momentum."

"We have people in that (Red Star) area asking when we're coming."

Gateley said, "There are many facets to this plan."

On Saturday afternoon, Gateley and Richards helped a resident tear down an old shed. "He said he would like to have it removed, but he needed some help," Gateley said. "So we are helping him."

The Community Investment in Cape Girardeau effort includes trash and weed removal, and an attempt to abate deteriorated sidewalks, abandoned cars and dilapidated, vacant buildings.

Gateley and Richards devised a plan to beautify much of the city's east side utilizing volunteer labor. The plan was unveiled in June.

The entire project area divided into four sections extends west from the Mississippi River to Sprigg Street and is bordered by Hackberry Street to the south and Roberts Street to the north.

Teams are being created in each of the four group areas.

In the southeast zone, an inventory was completed in June outlining areas that needed attention.