Regular street repair and cleaning efforts were disrupted by the two snowstorms that blanketed Staten Island with more than a foot of snow, causing a build-up of trash on public streets and in public spaces.
The initiative will bring together the City Department of Sanitation, the City Department of Transportation, the City Department of Parks, the Natural Resources Protective Association, nonprofits, and student volunteers. Penalties will be enforced to those caught littering and interfering with the cleanup efforts.
“This is going to be the beginning of a big Spring blitz across Staten Island,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference on Earth Day at Front Street and Edgewater Place in Stapleton. “These folks, who dedicate their lives to improving quality of life, have committed, thankfully, to helping us out and they’ll be dispatched across the Island.”
And work has already begun: Crews collected approximately 600 pounds of trash from Front Street prior to the press conference.
Borough President Fossella noted the Spring Blitz is a perfect opportunity for students to earn service credits.
“If there are kids out there through their schools that need service hours, let us know, and we’ll figure out a way to plug you in,” he said.
Borough President Fossella also applauded one of our own — staff photographer Peter Trivelas has spent countless hours removing illegal signs from telephone poles.
“Hundreds, if not thousands of signs have been taken down off the poles across Staten Island,” said Borough President Fossella. “Peter, thank you for what you do.”
