CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Umatilla’s streets, neighborhoods and river ways are a little bit cleaner thanks to the second annual “Slam Dunk the Junk” effort last week.
Across the city, volunteers hauled away trash and debris, pulled weeds, and helped out their friends and neighbors. The city offered dump trucks and volunteers for anyone who needed it, and the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce hosted a shred day to safely destroy unneeded documents. The shred filled three bins.
“I was very pleased with the way our weekend cleanup went,” City Councilman Roak Ten Eyck said. “It was pretty amazing to see (dumpsters) dumped then filled up in such a quick fashion.”
City residents filled about a dozen dumpsters full of trash and debris
“I think it was a tremendously successful event,” Umatilla City Manager Bob Ward said. “Hopefully someday, we’ll work ourselves out of a job.”
Despite the weekend’s success, the city lost one of its most vocal code improvement board members Tuesday night. Jack McWhinnie, one of the original supporters of the cleanup, resigned from the board. McWhinnie called for year-wide cleanup and a full-time code enforcement officer.
“Yes, the annual cleanup helps, but what about the rest of the year?” McWhinnie said. “I’ve been on the Code Improvement Board for four years. I got on the board to protect the good property owner and the codes and give a little of myself to make the city better. I wasted four years.”
McWhinnie said his words came from disappointment, not anger. He pointed to broken signs, “trash, junk, trees and even a toilet seat on Main Street” as examples of work that needed to be done. McWhinnie also predicted increases in water rates would lead to more “brown lawns” around the city and predicted increases for garbage services would lead to more trash.
“This community is a hard working community. They’re good people for the most part, but they don’t make the wages like they do in Hermiston or Tri-Cities,” he said.
Multiple audience members thanked McWhinnie for his service and said they have seen a marked improvement in the past four years.
“I would commend you for your efforts,” Umatilla resident Craig Simpson said. “I don’t agree it was in vain. It was hard work, but it was worth it.”
