5/20/2010 - West Side Leader
By Stephanie Kist
DOWNTOWN AKRON — According to city officials, more than 350 volunteers, the most in event history, helped make Downtown Akron shine at the third annual Green and Clean Day sponsored by the Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) May 7.
The volunteers, including individuals and teams from local businesses, helped with beautification and deep-cleaning projects throughout Downtown Akron that went beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of DAP’s clean and safe ambassadors.
In addition, the city of Akron, Summit County, Greenprint Akron and DAP hosted a Green Fair at Lock 3 Park that day. Vendors from 18 businesses offered the chance for visitors to learn more about environmentally friendly resources for the work place.
According to city officials, Green and Clean 2010 volunteers picked up more than 50 bags of trash and thousands of cigarette butts; swept more than 150 blocks of sidewalk; washed 45 paper boxes, 77 parking meters, 37 planters, 47 ash urns and 11 bus shelters; painted seven phone kiosks, 75 trash can lids, nearly 2,000 lineal feet of railings at Lock 3 and Lock 2, 12 benches, 115 light poles and 66 parking meters; and refilled 72 tree grates with gravel and mulched flower beds at Cascade Plaza, Northside Station and other locations in Downtown. Additional teams spruced up their own properties by removing weeds, sweeping, picking up trash, planting flowers, mulching and cleaning storefronts. All of the projects totaled 1,434 man hours.
Participating business teams included Akron Area YMCA, Akron Beacon Journal/ Ohio.com, Akron Children’s Rehab, Akron General Medical Center, Akron Pregnancy Services, Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau and John S. Knight Center, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, APG, Artwalk, Bruner Cox LLP, CB Richard Ellis, Chase, city of Akron Zoning, Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Dick’ll Do It Junk Removal and Recycling, Exxon Mobil, FedEx Custom Critical, FirstMerit, GOJO, H.A.L.O.-University of Akron, High Street Christian Church, Malcolm Pirnie, National Inventors Hall of Fame- School, Office of Congresswoman Betty Sutton, Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition, The Peanut Shoppe, Portage Path Behavioral Health, PNC, Road Runner Akron Marathon, Roetzel and Andress, Stage Left at the Civic Theatre, SummaCare, Summit Akron Solid Waste Management Authority, Summit County Youth Employment for Success, Summit County Common Pleas Court, Time Warner Cable and WhiteSpace Creative.
Downtown Akron eateries provided food for the lunchtime celebration.
