South Bellmore Civic to host first spring cleanup

The South Bellmore Civic Association is asking residents to bring their brooms out to Merrick Road this weekend, as the organization is hosting its first spring cleanup on Saturday, May 3.

The civic, which convened for the first time last February, announced that they would be sprucing up Merrick Road in their spring newsletter and online. Residents who are interested in participating will meet Beatification Chair Joanne Bo and other members of the board at Payless Shoe Source, located near the intersection of Merrick and Newbridge Roads, at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Alison Frankel, the civic’s president, said the group is excited for the inaugural spring cleanup of Merrick Road. She explained that the streets and sidewalks suffered during the harsh winter’s heavy snowfalls, so members of the civic want to do all that they can to improve their conditions.

“We're hoping this will brighten things up,” she said. The board added in the newsletter that they “want to make our community more walking friendly, and encourage its residents to explore its own streets…all of these little steps will mean a lot, once completed.”

Frankel said volunteers should bring brooms, gloves and lightweight gardening equipment to the cleanup, as the group will be picking up garbage and pulling out dead shrubs and weeds while heading east from Payless. The civic will have a wheelbarrow in tow, and the board is hoping to get donated mulch to disperse wherever necessary.

Bellmore business owners are also able to sponsor the beautification process by paying $25 in civic dues. Frankel said members of the merchant community who plant and/or clean up their properties will also be credited for doing so on the South Bellmore Civic Association’s website and Facebook page, in addition to being mentioned at future meetings of the organization.

During the cleanup, the civic’s beautification committee will also be scouting out locations to plant flowers. The planting date has yet to be announced.

Since its inception, the South Bellmore Civic Association has focused on several community beautification projects, including a planting and cleanup of Mill Pond Park and the Bellmore Post Office last May. 

The rain date for the spring cleanup is Sunday, May 4; participants would meet at the same time and place.