Clean Sweep
Gloversville gets overnight spruce-upBy ZACH SUBAR, The Leader-Herald
Article Photos
GLOVERSVILLE - Brooms swept their way across dusty sidewalks on Main Street. Paint brushes chock-full of fresh paint were slid along chipped streetlamps, windows were washed and a community came together to beautify its downtown Friday night.
The event, called Operation Clean Sweep, began at 8 p.m. and was intended to motivate volunteers who would help spruce up downtown. Participants met at the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry building, where they received their assignments.
They then went off to shovel dirt, pull up weeds and paint light fixtures with their various tools. More than 75 athletes and 15 coaches from Gloversville schools helped volunteer.
The school district's relationship with the city, Superintendent Robert DeLilli said, is reciprocal. The city supports the district, he said, and the cleanup was a good way for the school district to return the favor.
The downtown area was a sea of maroon at times, as coaches and players sported the school's colors as they cleaned.
"The community does a lot for us throughout the year, and the athletes and coaches wanted to do something to give back to our community," Athletic Director Mike DeMagistris said.
Gloversville High School junior Erica Alikhan helped sweep the sidewalk along Church Street.
"I feel like it's not as good as it could be," Alikhan said of her city. "It'll look a lot better if people clean up more."
City Court Judge Vincent DeSantis, while shoveling near a tree on Bleecker Street, said he was expecting about 140 volunteers in total. He said work would be done along Main Street between Prospect Avenue and Cayadutta Street, behind the Glove Performing Arts Center and in mini-parks along Main. Volunteers, he said, would work to ensure the area looked neat and was devoid of all litter, a process he said would likely last until midnight.
He said such an event creates positive feelings among those who participate.
"It makes people aware of the difference of a well maintained community, as opposed to a community that lets things go," DeSantis said.
Others said they hoped they were setting a good example. Broadalbin resident Sara Schopmeier looked at the cars passing by as she knelt next to a can of paint.
"If they can get people to come out and be proud of the community they live in, maybe people driving by will take an interest in what's going on and say, 'Hey, that's a great idea,'" Schopmeier said.
The Gloversville2020 group, the Gloversville Business Improvement District, the city Department of Public Works and the city Police Department helped lead the event. The DPW provided paint and some supplies.
Zach Subar can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com
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dogman12
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05-17-09 9:45 PM
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How cruel to put this down ! I hate humans like that ! No matter what is done to better Gloversville, some just can't keep the mouth shut about it putting it down
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SNOWGRINCH
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05-16-09 7:04 PM
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To all those who worked so hard on the G'ville Clean Sweep... Thank You!
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sainshooter
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05-16-09 4:59 PM
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Great job folks !!!!! Now the trash of gloversville has a clean place to hang out and sell their drugs..... Thumbs up.....LOL What a waste of time......
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downtownmerchant
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05-16-09 1:13 PM
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i can't express enough how glad i was to see such effort and good will on the part of those who came down. we all worked hard and had fun at the same time. it was a festive atmoshere, schools kids, young adults, downtown employees, teachers, various citizens. thank you, downtown looks great. ps - note to ADKal, i was kinda expecting dpw to help, i pay taxes too...what a lousy way to think about a positive event. we all know there are many other areas of concern.
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reader
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05-16-09 8:26 AM
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Good job all!
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merchant
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05-16-09 7:18 AM
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it was pretty sad after we were all finished about 12:30 I walked back to my end of town still picking up more garbage and sweeping fresh cigarette butts into the road.
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Adirondackal
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05-16-09 7:07 AM
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Let's not take anything away from the students and others who actually did the work but it bears noting that the DPW did not "provide paint and some supplies". The taxpayers of the city paid for those and if this project is true to form, we also paid the salaries of those DPW staff participating. Maybe that's what our citizens want- a shiny clean downtown area that we cannot drive to without destroying the suspensions on our cars on potholes and frost heaves.
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