The sound of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and brooms could be heard throughout Columbia’s streets early Saturday.
More than 100 people turned out for Operation Clean Sweep, which began around 7 a.m. with a meeting in front of the Marion County Development Partnership on Courthouse Square. Service clubs, individuals, city and county officials and even high school athletes turned out to clean a variety of locations across the city.
The event was organized by the City of Columbia, the MCDP and Keep Columbia and Marion County Beautiful.
“We have a 20-yard roll-off dumpster filled with stuff,” Mayor Justin McKenzie said Monday. “More than 100 people turned out and worked in the community doing a variety of things. People collected a truckload of tires; they did a lot of mowing, bushogging and cleaning across the city.”
McKenzie was also pleased with elected officials and department heads from both city and county offices who helped.
“All of the aldermen were there,” he said. “We had a number of elected officials, including Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan, Tax Assessor/Collector Teresa Terrell and Constable Robbie Gill. Jerry Frazier, Carolyn Burton and Lori Watts of the MCDP were all there and our city department heads, Police Chief Mike Cooper, Fire Chief Jeff McKenzie and Earl Turnage from the Street Department, were all involved. We had groups like the Kiwanis Club there too. Several Columbia Fire Department firefighters came in on their time off to volunteer and we even had members of the Columbia Academy football team working. We were very proud of the turnout.”
As people began to assemble Saturday morning, Yvette Cutrer, who heads up Keep Columbia and Marion County Beautiful, gave instructions and thanked the participants.
“We’re here to get started,” she said to the crowd in the MCDP parking lot. “We’ve got plenty of trash bags and, of course, lots of water. Thank you so much for showing up and helping with our efforts.”
During the event, cleanup crews could be spotted all over the city. At the Marion County Courthouse, members of the CA football team and others power washed around the building, trimmed bushes and picked up trash. Nearby, nearly a dozen members of the Kiwanis Club of Columbia and friends cleaned outside buildings along Broad Street, removing trash and brush from the area. On Main Street, McKenzie, his wife, Amy, and a host of others, including Columbia Walmart Supercenter Manager Mike Lowery were busy cleaning. Lowery also donated a new American flag for the flag pole by the Main Street Columbia, Inc. office and repainted the sign outside the building.
At Bluff Street Park, Cutrer and other volunteers cleaned up planters and planted trees and flowers. Firefighters from the Columbia Fire Department trimmed around bushes and cleaned the park. Another crew of firefighters cleaned the areas near bridges across the city. Near Jefferson Middle School, volunteers moved and cleaned up a nearby field. In Ward 1, Alderman Wendell Hammond was spotted atop a tractor mowing an overgrown field off South High School Avenue. Ward 2 Alderman Jason Stringer drove a tractor and sprayed weed killer in overgrown areas and along sidewalks. Ward 3 Alderwoman Anna Evans grabbed a weed-eater and headed into her ward from the initial meeting. Ward 4 Alderman Mike Smith helped crews in his ward, and Alderman at Large Edward Hough spent the day cleaning and mowing a variety of properties around the city.
“We were very pleased with all of the hard work that went into this,” Mayor McKenzie said. “The results can be seen throughout town. We have a lot left to do and hopefully, we’re going to do this again in the near future. We encourage business owners and homeowners to make improvements to their properties. We want to see community pride. We want to take ownership in our community.”
McKenzie again thanked all of the participants.
“We’re so grateful for all of the support,” he concluded. “I especially want to thank the businesses that donated items to help our efforts. We want to continue on the right track and continue to make these improvements. We can make a difference one site or one neighborhood at a time.”
Pictured Above: Rob Zehentner, left, uses a chain saw to cut debris at the former Thursday’s site on Broad Street as Mark Carithers clears the cuttings to be hauled away. | Submitted Photo
