SCSU students who worked on the Edgewood Park clean-up, along with Sgt. Renee Forte, Officers Elizabeth White and Allyn Wright, and LCI Specialist Nick Licatta.
Friends of Edgewood Park’s Jon Miller sent in the following write-up about a clean-up in Edgewood Park:
In small amounts litter is a nuisance, but when it accumulates into the kind of massive eyesore that recently developed in Edgewood Park, it becomes a serious threat. The mounds of garbage along Chapel Street had become a blight that was turning people away from the park. And fewer people means more problems, which means still fewer people — a vicious cycle.
But in a demonstration of how local groups can turn things around, students from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) teamed up with members of the New Haven Police Department, New Haven Parks and Recreation, the Livable Cities Initiative and Friends of Edgewood Park to clean up the mess. When they were done, all of the trash had been bagged (it took 120 large garbage bags) and the park was clean and inviting once more.
The event was part of SCSU’s 7th annual Day of Service, which involved some 900 students in all parts of the city. SCSU students have been working on projects with Friends of Edgewood Park for years. This year Sgt. Renee Forte, Westville/West Hills Community Policing District Manager, took the lead in working with the 130 university students who participated.
But, said Sgt. Forte, “this kind of effort has to be followed up with more initiatives that help bring people into the park, which is why Friends is inviting everyone who cares about the park to their Organizing Rally this coming Tuesday.”
The Friends Organizing Rally is being held at the Edgewood School on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 pm.
“The more people we can involve in helping the park — from picking up litter to organizing fun events,” said Friends President Willie Hoffman, “the more people will feel comfortable in the park. And the more people who use the park, the more everyone will help care for it — a heartening upward spiral.
For more information, email:
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), president of Friends of Edgewood Park
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), vice president of Friends of Edgewood Park
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), police district manager
The most disgusting part of this story is that the park will look just as bad within a few weeks or months. Hats off to these 'volunteers', but they could be doing better work for those who are in real need - not picking up after adults who should know better!