City gearing up for ‘Clean Sweep’

The 2011 Clean Sweep season starts April 30 in the Northwest Quadrant of the city and will continue for the three following Saturdays.

More than 22,000 volunteers have participated in Clean Sweep since its inception, working alongside city crews to remove winter debris and litter from city neighborhoods. Volunteers also plant flowers, prune trees and perform other neighborhood beautification projects while city crews remove graffiti, clean city properties, repair sidewalks and fill potholes.

Residents are reminded that city workers will collect bulk refuse from the curb during this year’s Clean Sweep season.

Saturday Clean Sweeps begin at 8:30 a.m. when volunteers gather for free coffee and doughnuts. They’re provided a free T-shirt, assigned to a team and sent out to hit the streets by 9 a.m. Tools and gloves are provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. They return to the staging ground at 1 p.m. for a picnic lunch.

The dates and locations for 2010 Clean Sweep are:

• Northwest Quadrant: April 30 at Edgerton Community Center, 41 Backus St.

• Southwest Quadrant: May 7, Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave.

• Northeast Quadrant: May 14, Northeast Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton St.

• Southeast Quadrant: May 21, Cobbs Hill Park, Culver Road and Norris Drive

For more information, to register or volunteer, call 311, (585) 428-5990 outside city limits, or visit www.cityofrochester.gov/cleansweep.