Fifteen representatives of Sandmeyer Steel Company, including President and CEO Ron Sandmeyer Jr., were among 28 total volunteers who took part in the Spring Cleanup hosted by the Friends of Poquessing Watershed on April 16.
Workers removed 100 bags of trash, 117 tires, 58 bags of recyclable cans, four bags of yard waste and various other items from Poquessing Creek Park near the terminus of McNulty Road.
In addition to Sandmeyer Jr., volunteers included Laurel Backert, Terrill Bohnsack, Garfield Bowen, John Curley, Craig Freeman, Denise Gaffney, Robert Holloway, Mark Jackson, Will Lawlor, Donna Martin, Steve Mellor, Cheri Rider, Norval Robinson and Delroy Tracey from the Sandmeyer Serves Committee, as well as Kevin and Michele Dwyer and their children Kevin Jr., Keenan and Kane; Tom and Mary Lou Klein with their children Jennifer and Nicholas; Samantha Thompson; Jeff Boyce; Jeanne Kane; and Hans Brolinson. The Philadelphia Water Department’s Waterways Conveyance team also contributed, as did Marge Phillippi of the Parkwood Civic Association, who brought trash and recycling buckets.
The Philadelphia Street Department sent four trucks to pick up the bags of litter.
Some of the items removed from the park included the back seat of a car, a car bumper, a car door, a road hazard triangle, two car struts, a tire rim, an eyeglasses case, a hard hat, a jacket, sneakers, a “No Trespassing” sign, two beer bongs, a comforter, five fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, two mirrors, two pennies, a section of hose, a broken toilet, chain link fencing, a rubber mat, a saw horse, mattress springs, five tarps, a tote bag, an umbrella, vinyl siding, lawn chair parts, a video game, a broken arrow, a lantern, part of a playhouse, a bicycle fender, sports equipment, a doll, a pool filter, seven stadium seats, two sets of antlers, 80 magazine bundles, a packaging tape gun, metal-plated wood, a sign post, an Obama/Biden campaign sign, a section of razor wire, scrap lumber, half of a 50-gallon drum and a “bodily fluid cleanup kit.”
In addition to removing trash, workers used a backhoe to position large rocks in an effort to block park access for ATV riders. ATVs are illegal in the park and damage the natural environment.
The Friends of Poquessing Watershed wishes to remind residents that illegal dumping and graffiti may be reported via the city’s 311 telephone hotline. The group’s next monthly cleanup will be held on May 14 at Glen Foerd on the Delaware from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be part of the citywide Love Your Park week. Visit www.friendsofpoquessing.org or visit the Poquessing Watershed page on Facebook for information. ••
