It is April 30th!!
Just a heads up! A formal announcement will follow soon. I am hoping some of you can join us. Ruth
-------- DRAFT ANNOUNCEMENT --------
The Porter Square Neighbors Association and the Ward 10 Democratic Committee invite you to join your friends and neighbors for a few hours of public service to remove this winter's debris from Porter Square.
Past years' participants include the Agassiz Neighborhood Council, the Mass Ave Improvement Committee, members of St. James Church, Lesley University, and neighbors like you. They report that one of the nicest parts of the whole thing--in addition to getting to know a neighbor a little better--is the steady expression of thanks from passersby. They are amazed by and grateful for this effort.
WHEN
Saturday, April 30, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. No rain date this year.
WHERE
Meet up with us at the park next to the Porter Square T stop. (Merchants, of course, can help us by cleaning the sidewalk and gutter in front of their place. Contact us if you need supplies.)
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
We will supply the trash bags. We will also have some gloves and brooms (courtesy of Tags Hardware), but probably not enough for everyone. Please BYO if you have them. Also, experience suggests that snow shovels (especially kid-sized) make terrific dust pans when sweeping the sidewalk, so if you have one, bring it with you.
Another useful item is a small plastic shopping bag or two. (Yes, we know that they are no longer available from local stores and being phased out generally, but you probably still have a couple of them.) If you are picking cigarette butts out of the crevices, you'll have a place to gather your contributions to the pile that is easier to manage than one of the larger, industrial strength trash bags that we'll supply. But, be sure to put your bag of butts inside one of those other bags.
WHAT IF MY JOINTS CREAK?
If your knees or back cannot handle bending or squatting to pluck the trash, bring a broom or borrow one from us. And, don't forget the snow shovel. We will make an effort to match people whose joints and equipment are complementary.
If you can kneel, sit, or squat, you might want to wear knee pads or bring a rubber mat or cushion. It takes a long time to remove the cigarette butts from the tree wells and the gutter grates.
WHERE DO I PUT FULL TRASH BAGS?
Place the full trash bags next to any city-owned trash barrel on the sidewalk. Some of the barrels near the Porter Square T station belong to the MBTA, so if you work in that area, we will show you which barrels to use.
WHAT DO I DO WITH THE BROOM AND GLOVES YOU LOANED ME?
Please return any cotton gloves and brooms to Clean-Up Central (the T park). Some of the gloves will be thin rubber, so just put them in your last trash bag.
CAN I KEEP ANY EXTRA TRASH BAGS?
We'd like to get the unused trash bags back. We'll need to clean up after winter again next spring.
WHAT HAPPENS AT NOON?
When you're done (11:30 or so), join us at Christopher's Restaurant for some nibbles and beer. You'll have to buy the beer, though. If you want lunch, you'll have to buy that, too. But you will have a good time, and some good conversation.
You can just turn up, but it¹s always nice to know how many of you plan to answer the call. So, if you plan to join us, let us know. Just send an email to Susan Hunziker -- shunziker@comcast.net
We look forward to seeing you and to a clean street.