Syracuse Adopt-a-Block program is a way for people to get involved

SYRACUSE — The City of Syracuse’s Adopt-a-Block program, which is again in progress, is an initiative focused on trash and litter pick up across Syracuse neighborhoods. Syeisha Byrd, commissioner of the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation, & Youth Programs, describes Adopt-a-Block as a program that “encourages residents and neighbors to continue to keep their neighborhoods clean.” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh advises those interested in getting involved to go to the City of Syracuse website: syr.gov/adoptablock. “You have to commit to two blocks. You can do either as an individual. You can do it with your employer. You can do it with your neighborhood with a block group,” the mayor said. “But again, the more people that we get involved, the less work there is for everyone, so it really is a community effort.” The City of Syracuse held this year’s kickoff event at Homer Wheaton Park in May 14. “Some of you may know that we have been working for the past couple years on a housing strategy, and one of our priority neighborhoods in right here in Salt Springs, and so we thought it was appropriate that we come here and help clean up a little bit,” Walsh said to open his remarks. It’s a program that the city has promoted and encouraged since the late 2010s. The annual announcements have happened in the spring. “This time of year, once the snow finally melts, is one of the more challenging times when it comes to little because it collects over the course of the winter and then presents itself once the snow melts,” Walsh said at the spring kickoff event. He went on to say that various Syracuse organizations have clean-ups in relation to Earth Day in April and those involved “put a good dent in it,” referencing the accumulated trash from the winter season. The city’s Department of Public Works and environmental-services team are out “literally daily” picking up litter, Walsh added. The mayor also used the occasion to remind residents they can alert city crews to litter problems by using the City Line app.

“You can call City Line at 448-CITY or you can use our app, which you can download on your phone. You can take a picture of the litter. It’ll locate where you are through your phone and you can submit it and that’s flag it for our environmental services and they’ll put it on their list and they’ll come clean it up,” Walsh said. “Ultimately, the reason why we developed this program is because keeping our city beautiful and clean, number one, needs to happen year round, and number two, needs to be a community-wide effort. There’s only so much that the City can do, but when we all are involved and work together, we can make an incredible impact,” he continued. Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens attended the event and helped with the morning cleanup around the park and Salt Springs neighborhood as well. Walsh also said the Adopt-a-Block program has an “important component” relative to Onondaga County’s Save the Rain program. Litter that doesn’t get picked up often ends up in storm drains, which can end up in waterways, in Onondaga Creek, and eventually into Onondaga Lake. “So, it isn’t just about keeping our city looking good, it’s about keeping our waterways clean and ultimately, keeping Onondaga Lake clean,” Walsh said in acknowledging Onondaga County’s interest in this program as well. In her remarks, Onondaga County Legislator Nodesia Hernandez wanted to make sure that those gathered realize “how essential” the program is to Syracuse’s youth. “Because our neighborhoods and our parks are where they play, where they grow up. These parks are their … community meetings, their hearings, their town halls,” Hernandez said. “This is where they connect and why not make sure that they connect in an environment that’s sustainable for their health, right? We have to remember that the litter it brings, you know, bacteria and disease, so I’m just grateful to be able to stand here today and to make sure that the water is also kept clean and healthy for them.”