CHICOPEE — Starting on Thursday, May 23, Chicopee will begin its Clean City Initiative by hosting monthly cleanup events in different areas of the city through September.
The first cleanup will start at 9 a.m. and will be at New Ludlow Road and New Lombard Road where there is an island that needs some attention.
Volunteers can meet at that location for the event.
It is recommended to bring gloves, wear comfortable clothing suitable for cleaning and any other personal items you might need like water, sunscreen and hats. All other cleaning supplies will be provided.
Communications and Special Projects Director Chloe Soto is helping organize the event and said The Home Depot Foundation grant program helped buy equipment and supplies to host these cleanups.
Soto said she is also looking for input from the public for future areas they would like to see cleaned up in Chicopee.
She added, “They can definitely reach out to the Mayor’s Office and ask how they can help or if they have suggestions we would love that as well. This is their city and we want to find ways to make sure that we keep [it] clean and spotless and presentable so people want to come to Chicopee, they want to stay, they want to dine, they want to shop.”
You can contact the Mayor’s Office at 413-594-1500 or mayorsoffice@chicopeema.gov.
With the annual Chicopee Clean Sweep event taking place over the last few years, this event is another opportunity for residents to continue cleaning its city.
Soto talked about the goal of the initiative and her hope for the involvement from residents.
She said, “To be able to have other volunteers and have residents point us in the right direction is amazing and the ultimate goal is to have a pristine, clean city and community involvement. We want our care to trickle down to our residents. We want them to care as much as we do and to take pride — Chicopee pride and Chicopee strong is what we are looking for.”
Mayor John Vieau has a vision of Chicopee being the cleanest city in Massachusetts. He has also gone into the schools to make all the students pledge to “never ever litter.”
Soto added, “Watching the kids take the pledge not to litter was heartwarming. We are hoping this is a trickledown effect. If we get our students to go home and tell their parents they can recycle or don’t litter, just finding ways that we can inspire our youth and inspire our adults and hopefully make this extra effort to keep this city clean.”
Vieau fully supports the initiative and said, “We are excited to launch these community cleanup events in Chicopee, which reflect our commitment to maintaining a clean and vibrant city. These initiatives not only enhance the beauty of our neighborhoods but also foster a sense of pride and unity among our residents. I encourage everyone to participate and help us keep Chicopee a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.”
