BUTTE — Three districts in Butte are going to be participating in a community clean-up day, like the neighborhood around Koprivica Park, because cleaning up the neighborhood is more than just picking up trash.
“It’s the urban decay, it’s the abandoned vehicles and then it’s crime within our community. I know, there’s a lot of issues within our community, but we got to start eating this elephant one bite at a time,” said Butte Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher.
The "elephant" was pointed at during a recent community meeting when residents complained about junk cars and trailers in neighborhoods. Some say their complaints to Butte’s Community Enrichment Department have not been answered, but city officials assure people their complaints are not being ignored.
“And if somebody hasn’t followed up with you, call again. It isn’t that we’re ignoring any of the issues; we know we have a lot of things that we’re dealing with out there, but we’re going to get to you as fast as we can,” said Gallagher.
Community Enrichment is hosting a cleanup event in three neighborhoods where large dumpsters will be left out so residents and city crews can throw away trash.
“We see where a community is filled with trash and garbage, then more likely there are instances where the crime is up in that area,” said Cindy Winston of Community Enrichment.
And this cleanup event isn’t just for these three districts, anyone can get involved, so if you see something on the ground, pick it up and toss it. This way, the entire city gets involved.
“I’m from Butte, and I’d like my children to stay in Butte. My co-workers have younger kids and they mirror one another, so if they see you’re cleaning up, it’s the next generation,” said Winston.
The event begins Thursday and runs until Saturday. Trash bins will be set up at Koprivica Park, the former Greely Park, and JFK Park in the Drives neighborhood.
