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Mayor Miner Asking For Help Spring Cleaning Around the City

Chris Bolt/WAER News

  The change to nice weather means another reality… it’s time for property owners to spruce up their properties.  In recent days, you’ve probably seen city D-P-W trucks going through neighborhoods removing yard waste and other items brought to the curb. If not, they’re on the way. Mayor Stephanie Miner says we’re beginning to see what was hidden from view during the winter.

“It ended very suddenly and we have as a consequence lots of litter and trash and debris throughout the city.”

The Mayor is urging neighbors and people who live or work in the city to help in the effort.  D-P-W crews are out picking up trash and debris in Syracuse, Miner stresses the city-wide clean-up has to be a collective effort by everyone taking care of their properties.  For those who don’t comply, they could be fines.

"They will be cited and they have a week to pick it up.  If they don’t pick it up, then we go and pick it up for them and cite them and put the fee on their taxes"

Credit Chris Bolt/WAER News
Litter left at landlord-owned properties and business properties can bring a citation, a city cleanup, and the cost put on the property owner's taxes.

  Earlier in the month, Miner says the Clean-up ‘Cuse effort was very successful.  Now she’s making a more personal plea and feels if everyone does their part, it will make a huge impact.

"The benefit is to the people who live here first and foremost.  We have a gorgeous city with gorgeous parks and buildings and landmarks and houses.  It weighs us all down if we don’t put our best foot forward.  And for visitors and for others it doesn’t show the best city that we can be.  It gives the false sense that we don’t care about our city and our community, which of course we do.  So that’s why we’re asking people to pick up.”

Miner advises residents if they find dangerous objects such as surgical needles to leave them alone and call the City D-P-W department. Residents can also bring their yard waste directly to the D-P-W collection site instead of waiting for city trucks.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.