News
Preparations Underway For Athens Beautification Day
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
Posted on:
The Ohio University and Athens community are gearing up for the annual Athens Beautification Day, which will be held on April 19.
The annual event provides an opportunity for OU students and employees, as well as city residents and officials, to work side-by-side while doing beautification projects around the city and beyond.
Athens Beautification Day was created in 2005 by the OU Men’s Water Polo Team. During the first year, there were 150 volunteers working on nine projects. Last year, 1,015 volunteers worked on about 50 projects.
According to Rose Troyer, one of the coordinators of the event, the goal is to get 1,300 volunteers working on more than 50 projects for 2015. Projects in the past have ranged from highway litter pickup and graffiti removal to landscaping.
Troyer said this is the first year that Athens Beautification Day is being organized by the OU Community Service Leadership Council.
Volunteers can sign up online at here. Registration on the day of the event will begin at 11 a.m. on the College Green. Speakers are slated at noon, with projects commencing at 12:30 p.m. and running through 4 p.m. At 4 p.m., food will be provided by Kiser’s Barbecue and live music is also planned.
During Monday’s Athens City Council meeting, Councilwoman Michele Papai noted that the event is the day after #Fest and the International Street Fair.
“We know we need a huge cleanup effort after those events,” she said.
The city is expected to provide mulch and $1,000 in funding for Beautification Day. The event is also seeking sponsors to help cover the cost of supplies and other expenditures.
For information, send an email to ouabday@gmail.com.