A group of volunteers from the Clinton outlets pitched in help spruce up properties around Westbrook. Town officials are seeking more volunteers for future projects around town.

Residents who have driven through downtown Westbrook in recent weeks may have noticed a cleaner look to the area. Westbrook Town Planner Peter Gillespie told the Harbor News that on April 28, a group of volunteers from the Clinton Premium Outlets pitched in with spring cleanup of the town parking lot and gardens next to the Turtle Café.

“This is a first-time venture, which we hope to continue into the future,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie shed some light on how the partnership between the outlets and town came to be.

“The planting beds are also part of our Adopt a Spot program, where we look to match up volunteers with small public landscape plots to help beautify Westbrook. You may have seen some of the signs throughout town. I manage that program on behalf of the town,” Gillespie said. “The parking lot and park was planted as an urban meadow with native plants using sustainable practice including pervious pavement, solar trash receptacles, and energy-efficient lighting. We received some grant funds and town funds to complete the project.”

Gillespie said that this particular project was actually initiated by the outlets, not the town.

“Nathan Ramos, the general manager for the Clinton outlets reached out to the town in early April looking for an Earth Day-friendly activity that his team could work on and I coordinated with him and our Public Works Department to get them some tools, supervision, equipment and supplies to do the work. They helped us with spring cleaning and mulching the planting beds at the parking lot,” said Gillespie.

Gillespie said that there are no future projects lined up at the moment, but the town is interested in finding volunteers to do more work in the future. Interested parties can contact Gillespie at pgillespie@westbrookct.us or 860-399-3041, ext. 1130.