One good neighbor
This past Saturday, The Mister and I pulled into our driveway after a trip to Marion. Across the street our new neighbor, Larry Larsen, was scooping several years worth of gutter-clutter from the Walnut Street edge of his property.
I thought, "Way to go!" The Mister groaned. Larry was about half way down the length of his front gutter and it looked to me like he had cleaned up in front of his neighbor's home as well. There was a huge heap of dirty, leafy, icky, twiggy stuff in the back of his pickup truck. It was obvious he'd been at this for awhile.
The Mister groaned again, but I was stoically unsympathetic. Gutter cleaning is just something that needs to be done. If the new guy on the block can do it, the guys who have been here for years can certainly get out there and do the same. I always think of Walnut Street as the front porch to the community. It should be welcoming and clutter-free. When visitors drive down the street toward our downtown district, they should not be sidetracked by water bottles, beer cans, or Styrofoam cups lying in the gutters of our main thoroughfare. Piles of leaves, wrappers, cigarette butts, and grass clippings aren't part of the heritage we wish to show to tourists.
The best solution would be to have community members who refuse to dirty their own nest. Yes, I know, I am dreaming. Seems there is an overabundance of people in the "what can you do for ME" crowd these days. Everyone wants the city (or anyone else) to clean up the unsightly stuff.
Well, here's a hint. It is your unsightly stuff. Don't toss it onto the street in the first place. Teach your children not to litter and do it by example. Don't toss your cigarette butts, convenience store cups, or pop cans out the car window.
Don't blow your lawn clippings into the street when you mow (there is a $100 fine for that activity if you are caught). Clean out your gutter. It will keep the storm drains from clogging up and save tax dollars spent on expensive repairs and maintenance. Do it because it is the right thing to do.
The cleanup efforts of one good neighbor don't stretch far when the rest of the community insists on using the street as a private dumping ground. We're all in this together. Please make an effort to be part of the solution.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
