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03/24/2021 08:33 AMRoll up your sleeves, grab your gloves and mark down Saturday, April 17 on your calendar: A Clinton resident has organized a town-wide community clean up event starting at Town Hall at 9:30 a.m.
John Harrington created the event and said he has big plans for the day. First, people will gather at Town Hall where Harrington will make a brief presentation on the importance of keeping the Long Island Sound clean, how storm water systems work, and what people can do to help.
Next, people will be assigned different areas of town to clean, including the downtown, the beaches, and the marshes. Harrington suggested that people bring their own gloves and trash receptacle or trash bags if they could.
Harrington is organizing the event on his own, rather than as a part of a group or organization. He said he was motivated to create the event in part because he is a professional engineer who works to be considerate of the impact his projects have on the environment.
“I’ve always been conscious of the environment and good stewardship,” Harrington said. When he sees actions that hurt the environment, “it frustrates the heck out of me.”
“I’m familiar and sensitive to a whole host of environmental issues,” Harrington said.
Harrington said that not only is taking care of the environment good for the wildlife in the area, it’s also good for the community as it makes the town’s image more attractive and thus raises property values, too.
A brochure Harrington produced to advertise the event shows litter collected on the side of the road various locales. Harrington explained to the Harbor News just how important it is to clean up that litter.
“Storm drainage can carry garbage and litter that collects in parking lots out into the Sound,” said Harrington.
It’s not just big litter pieces that can cause and issue either. According to Harrington, items like cigarette butts or bottle caps can be carried out into the waterways where fish or ducks can ingest them and die.
So far Harrington has discussed his idea with Town Manager Karl Kilduff and Police Chief Vincent DeMaio, both of whom were very supportive of the event, according to Harrington. The cleanup event way briefly mentioned during a Town Council meeting on March 17.
Harrington said that as word has spread, he has received positive feedback on the event, but the sill hopes to draw more people.
“So far they have been very supportive, especially neighbors here in the Hammocks,” said Harrington.
He also hopes to solicit help from local businesses and perhaps even some students from The Morgan School.
“It’s a rewarding time and a great way to meet other civic-minded people and you feel good,” Harrington said.