Proud of cleanup squad
I am grateful that I was one of the team leaders chosen to take part of the very first clean-up squad event in August. The clean up squad consisted of four teams, Red, Blue, Silver and Gold, led by two team leaders for each group. The whole idea was to make a difference in Midtown Kingston. This was by picking up the trash we saw on the streets and in the park on Van Buren. Aside from Van Buren, we picked up trash on Franklin, Van Deusen Street, Liberty Street, Furnace Street, Cedar Street and Clinton Avenue and from Broadway to George Washington Elementary School. We also painted the gazebo in the Van Buren Park.
The age of children that helped us with the project was from 8 to 14. It was fun working with the kids and they enjoyed it as well. I would like to thank everyone that helped make the cleanup squad a success. We really appreciate the sponsors that brought snacks for the children to eat, the ones who threw a barbeque at the end of the week, Ms. Whitlock and Mr. Clement for recognizing the hard work the children did this past week, and my fellow team leaders that thought of the whole clean up squad song idea. I’m in the music video on the Kingston Cares Facebook page! I needed the extra help getting back-to-school supplies and it was nice to earn it while also serving as a mentor for the little kids living in my neighborhood.
I’m really proud of the work my team of kids did. I really hope future programs like these will happen and again thank everyone that was a part of it.
Matthew Brownlee, Gold Squad Team Leader, Kingston
I’ve got questions
So let me see if I have this right. The mayor is purposing to end trash pickup and have all of us all pay extra for our own trash pickup, and he is going to move the DPW workers around to different departments?
OK, question: Didn’t we just bond for a new trash truck arm to pick up the garbage cans and dump them into the truck? How much did that cost us? And how many trash trucks does the city now own?
Question: Didn’t we just receive a grant for recycling boxes and isn’t it being tested right now in one of our wards? and what happens when the snow comes? Who is going to do the snow plowing? Or is that on our dime now too? And didn’t we just bond for a large two-lane snow scraper bonded for to the tune of $220,000 to the taxpayers?
Join the family! 
