Five months can seem like an eternity in the life of an urban park, especially when the proliferation of litter is concerned. So the Friends of Pennypack Park returned to Holme Avenue behind Nazareth Hospital for its latest park cleanup day on Aug. 22.
The cleanup crew last visited there in March, when they removed 54 bags of trash and large debris from a city-owned baseball field and surrounding woods. With a lot fewer volunteers this time (18 as compared to 47), the August effort produced 28 bags of trash, plus other debris, from the same areas.
August’s volunteers included Kathy Volack, Sol Stark, Zelda Kresloff, Christopher Coan, John Sherman, Sondra Greenberg, Dean Lynd, Robert McMunn, Rich Glaser, Bruce and Louise Kopena, Karen Kaczorek, Joyce Ferrero, Bill Henderson, Andrew Puzdrak, Kevin Sweetra, Jim Smyth and Nance Kerns. The city’s Streets Department earned an assist by dispatching a trash truck to pick up the bagged litter.
In addition to the 28 bags of trash, workers filled another bag with recyclable cans. Some items that didn’t make it into the bags included a large-screen TV (which could’ve just as easily been dropped at the Streets Department’s collection center at State Road and Ashburner Street), a computer monitor, a microwave oven and its box, a pile of bricks, beer and liquor bottles, scissors, a container of empty milk pints, a mop handle, clothing, a rusty kid-size bike, 16 golf balls, a hubcap, a large Styrofoam sheet, a couple of political campaign signs and a package of soluble plant food.
The next monthly cleanup will be on Saturday, Sept. 26, (coinciding with the Papal visit) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All volunteers are welcome and will meet where Torresdale Avenue intersects the park’s paved bike/recreation path. The location is on the east side of Torresdale just south of the roadway bridge spanning Pennypack Creek.
Volunteers should wear long pants and comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Long sleeves, bug spray and sunscreen are optional, but advised. Youths under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Snacks, refreshments and supplies will be provided.
Call 215–934-PARK or email to FOPPMonthlyCU@aol.com for information. ••
