Residents ready for clean-up Saturday
Whether it’s young Cub Scouts or seasoned Rotarians, Ramona residents will be busy with community clean-up projects on Saturday morning.
Most of the work will be along the Santa Maria Greenway as part of the Creek Bed Clean-up under the umbrella of I Love A Clean San Diego’s Creek to Bay Cleanup. One group of volunteers will start the creek clean-up at the Ramona Trails Association (RTA) staging area in Ramona Community Park off Aqua Lane and another will start at the Ramona Disposal Transfer Station at 324 Maple St.
Volunteers are needed at both locations. Those starting at the RTA staging area may call Ingrid Tighe at 760-789-8709. They will work from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a plan of action/safety meeting starting at 8:30 a.m. Pickup trucks to haul items from the creek to the dumpster at the staging area are needed.
Those starting on Maple Street may contact Ramona High School senior Bailey Kotas at 760-419-5410 or bkotasvb@cox.net. They will work from 9 a.m. to noon.
The first 20 people to arrive at Kotas’ start-up point will receive a free recycled water bottle.
All creek clean-up volunteers are advised to bring water, a hat, sun protection and gloves and to wear comfortable boots and layered clothing. To receive a T-shirt, register at www.creektobay.org.
Cub Scouts from Pack 635 and Pack 631 will partner with Ramona Rotarians, who are concentrating their efforts at the community park on school district property at 1710 Montecito Road. The property, previously the site of Ramona Community School, has been a target for graffiti and other vandalism, but is seeing better days with the ARRIBA (Association of Ramona Residents Interested in Bringing Activities) Teen Center open there from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and adult soccer players readying the field for play.
While the Cub Scouts clear debris from the drainage channel and parking lot, Rotarians will be eliminating graffiti from the playground equipment, rehabbing children’s play areas, removing weeds, trimming trees for better visibility throughout the park, raking, covering irrigation boxes, fixing fences, and general brush and trash cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon.
Suggestions for the Ramona Rotary Work Day project came from Barbara Wallace, crime prevention specialist with the sheriff’s Ramona Substation, who has an eye for safety. Helping Rotary coordinate the project has been Ed Anderson, who is in charge of maintenance and operations for the school district.
April 24 is International Rotarians at Work Day. Ramona Rotary is using the day as a kickoff for its ongoing work at the Montecito Road park.