ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Esky Cleanup Week kicked off on May 8. For more than a decade, Escanaba residents have been coming together to do a bit of spring cleaning around the city.
“If it’s raking up your leaves, if it’s cleaning up the trash in the streets, it’s an opportunity for all of us to contribute in a small way to have a big impact and make our city really shine,” said Mark Ammel, president of Esky Cleanup and City Mayor.
Each evening through Friday, May 12, cleaning equipment–like trash tongs, rakes, brooms, shovels, and visibility vests–will be available at the Marketplace on South 15th Street. Esky Cleanup staff will be stationed there from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to sign the equipment out to volunteers.
While the Esky Cleanup headquarters is located downtown, Ammel says there are plenty of other places that need taken care of.
“We’ve got a few different areas earmarked as far as some playgrounds,” he said. “There’s always a beach cleanup. Ludington Park is always a popular one. I’m hoping we can get a large group effort by Bay College up on the highway there, because there’s quite a bit of stuff that just gets collected in that corner.”
Volunteers are encouraged to document their cleaning through photos and videos, with the goal of drawing more people to enjoy what Escanaba has to offer.
“We can put a good collective video together and put that up online so people can see that this is a community filled with people who care about where they live,” said Ammel. “It’s a place that you’d definitely want to come and visit.”
Ammel says if you have wanted to help the community but haven’t been sure how to do so, Esky Cleanup Week is the perfect time to get involved.
“This is accessible to anybody that wants to,” he said. “If you want to pick up some trash, if you just want to hold a bucket while somebody else does, if you want to take your kids out and teach them about being good stewards of your community, this is a great opportunity.”
Saturday morning, the cleanup will focus on Ludington Street. The week will wrap up with a party at noon to celebrate a job well done.
To sign up for Esky Cleanup Week or to learn more, click here.
