Clean Sweep nets highest tonnage since 2014

Cheney’s 11th annual community-wide clean up day April 21 yielded the highest tonnage results in four years, according to information from the city’s Public Works Department.

In a May 8 memo to Mayor Chris Grover and the City Council, Public Works Director Todd Ableman reported that 220 participants, including 206 citizen volunteers, collected or took in 20.09 tons of garbage, metals and building materials. Of those, the 9.17 tons of building materials was the highest in the last seven years, while the 4.65 tons of metals was the most since the 4.85 in 2014, and third highest since 2011.

Garbage collections of 6.27 tons was the highest since the 7.45 in 2016. Additionally, 110 used tires were collected at Les Schwab while 39, 64-gallon bins of personal documents were shredded at Cheney Federal Credit Union. The credit union also collected 507 pounds of food for the Cheney Food Bank.

Volunteers assisted three elderly residents with their spring yard work, and “significant impacts” were made to clean up 12 downtown planter boxes as well as other locations such as Centennial, Hibbard, Golden Hills and Salnave parks, the visitor center at First Street and Cheney-Plaza Road and other places around Cheney.

Additionally, two individuals assisted with tree removal on I Street, and 41 residents took advantage of the drop site at the Utility Building on Anderson Road to dispose of household hazardous waste.

Ableman said expenses for the annual event usually run in the $1,500 – $1,600 range. Thanks to assistance from sponsors, recycling and cash donations of $750, Ableman told the council he expects the final expense to come to just short of $454.

Seventeen businesses helped sponsor this year’s Cheney Clean Sweep. Most contributed some form of in-kind donation or supplied items such as food, water and materials.

Nixon Farmers Insurance and Walker Property Management both donated $200, while Cheney Public Storage added $150. Fellowship Baptist Church also donated $200 along with a staffing drop-off site.

Fellowship, CFCU, Amazing Grace Fellowship, Edward Jones Investments, Jackie Scholz State Farm Insurance and Les Schwab Tires made contributions worth over $250 each.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].