The city of Umatilla is asking residents to “Slam Dunk the Junk” April 1-7.
The idea of a city-wide cleanup continues to gain momentum after council members first discussed the initiative in February. Volunteers, elected officials and city staff have had organizational meetings, and the process is moving ahead.
One step in the project is the creation of a slogan, selected by fifth-graders at McNary Heights Elementary: “Slam Dunk the Junk.” While the elementary students work on posters and slogans, secondary school students are also getting involved.
During the first week of April, Umatilla students will go door-to-door in the community to spread awareness of the event and help identify those who will need help cleaning up debris. On Friday, April 4, the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free shred day across from Columbia Harvest Foods, and the main focus of the event will be on Saturday, April 5.
Slam Dunk the Junk will coincide with Sanitary Disposal’s discounted dump days, and the city will also have dumpsters available for local residents to use free of charge. Umatilla City Manager Bob Ward said the city is also looking into a scrap metal recycling program that will take old appliances and work with property owners directly to remove abandoned or derelict cars and trucks.
To facilitate a city wide cleanup, organizers have divided the community into six zones, and selected volunteer team leaders for each zone.
“By focusing efforts within each of these zones, we make the project more manageable,” Ward said. “We have a late start, but I think we can still do something meaningful that will be a template for future annual events. There will be no stone unturned in finding people to help. Come April 5, the town’s going to look better than it has in a while.”
More information is available at Umatilla City Hall.
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