Adopt a Spot
Environmental Commission
Adopt-A-Spot
I nvestors Bank Renews Adopt-A-Spot Contract for Metuchen Road
Carla Rocha, Assistant Branch Manager of Investors Bank at 2449 Plainfield Avenue, has renewed the branch’s Adopt-A-Spot agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association. A crew of six or more employees will continue to do quarterly litter cleanups along Metuchen Road from Belmont Avenue to Oak Tree Avenue.
Metuchen Road has been legendary in the Borough as an illegal dumping ground. Dumping decreased after the road was completely paved to the Edison border, but extra traffic brings extra litter. The stretch between Oak Tree and Belmont Avenues is particularly busy, and litter accumulates quickly.
Investors Bank first adopted this roadside in 2013. Then Branch Manager Miguel Carvalho was driving that road every day on his way to work. After participating in an Adopt-A-Spot cleanup with the South Plainfield Business Association (of which Investor’s Bank is a member), he arranged for the branch to join the CBA and applied to enter the Adopt-A-Spot program. The branch is committed to the program. After Mr. Carvalho left, Ms. Rocha took over organizing the employees. The spot is monitored weekly to see if additional work is needed between cleanups.
The CBA is looking for more roadside adopters. The rest of Metuchen Road and the length of South Clinton Avenue are available for adoption.
For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact the Clean Communities Coordinator at (908) 226-7621 or e-mail atempel@southplainfieldnj.com
SOUTH PLAINFIELD LIONS CLUB RENEWS HAMILTON BOULEVARD ADOPTION
(South Plainfield, November 30.) Michael Zushma, president of the South Plainfield Lions Club, has renewed the group’s Adopt-A-Spot agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association. Three to seven people will continue to collect litter from Hamilton Boulevard where it runs along Route I-287.
This stretch of road, from Stelton Road to South Clinton Avenue, fronts on The Home Depot. It catches litter that blows out of the parking lot. It is a busy road, with improperly covered trucks losing pieces of their loads, and inconsiderate drivers tossing litter out of car windows. Everything gets trapped against the fence that separates the highway right-of-way from Hamilton Boulevard. During a recent cleanup, the group filled six bags with trash in only an hour.
The International Lions Club was founded in 1917. The organization is best known for fighting blindness, but clubs also engage in many kinds of community projects, including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding seniors and the disabled.
The CBA is glad that the Lions have agreed to continue adopting this spot, which is a hazardous area due to the high volume of traffic. If many groups each take responsibility for a small segment of the Borough, the town stays a clean, attractive place to live and work with minimal effort for each organization.
For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact the Clean Communities Coordinator at (908) 226-7621 or e-mail atempel@southplainfieldnj.com .
KEYSTONE VOCATIONAL PROGRAM RENEWS FRONT STREET ADOPT-A-SPOT AGREEMENT
(South Plainfield, August 2.) Mary Ann Williams, Program Director of the Keystone Vocational Program, has renewed Keystone’s Adopt-A-Spot agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association for the next two years. She has been in charge of this program since the Keystone Community Residence first adopted Front Street in 1997. Keystone has been keeping the street clear of litter for over twenty years. A crew of six to eight residents plus supervisors will continue their weekly work to pick up litter, sweep the sidewalk and pull weeds from the curb.
In a separate contract with the CBA, Keystone has provided litter removal services at the Borough parks and municipal building spring through fall.
This Adopt-A-Spot is important to the downtown area. Studies have shown that people prefer to shop in a litter-free environment. The CBA is looking for more businesses to adopt spots in the commercial districts. South Plainfield Avenue and Oak Tree Avenue also attract litter.
For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact the Clean Communities Coordinator at (908) 226-7621 or e-mail atempel@southplainfieldnj.com .
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH RE-ADOPTS CHURCH STREET
(South Plainfield, July 17) Pastor Jesse Nietzer, on behalf of the First Baptist Church of South Plainfield, has signed an agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association to renew the Church’s adoption of the entire length of Church Street and a piece of Hamilton Boulevard, from the Church to the Bound Brook. Ten people will continue to collect litter from the street and at the dead ends into Veterans Park and the Brook, one Sunday every month.
The First Baptist Church of South Plainfield has been part of this community for 226 years, since its founding on New Market Avenue in 1792. The congregation first joined the Borough’s Adopt-A-Spot program in 2015. This is their third renewal. This Adopt-A-Spot is part of a network of spots adopted by businesses, non-profits and families in South Plainfield’s downtown and civic center. The Church’s monthly cleanups have benefited the downtown area. In addition to the street cleanup, the extra attention they give to clearing litter from the dead-ends at Veterans Park and the Bound Brook is a significant component of maintaining the neighborhood.
The CBA is looking for more Adopters for roadsides and open space locations. The length of Metuchen Road from Harmich Road to the Edison border is available for adoption.
For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact the Clean Communities Coordinator at (908) 226-7621 or e-mail atempel@southplainfieldnj.com .
CUB SCOUT PACK 207 ADOPTS THE HIGHLAND WOODS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESERVE
(South Plainfield, May 30.) Brian Wilson, Den Leader of Cub Scout Pack 207, Franklin School, has signed a new agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association to adopt the Nature Center at the Highland Woods Nature Reserve. For the past year, Pack 207 has shared the care of the Woods with the Pender Family. The Pack, which has 55 members to draw on, will continue to remove all litter from around the Nature Center, to keep the entranceway inviting. Working on the last Saturday of every month, ten – thirty cub scouts and adults will walk the trails, removing litter and clearing the trails of fallen branches, to ensure the trails are safe for hiking and nature study.
The Nature Center, at 115 Sylvania Place, is at the Nature Reserve trail head. The Reserve is a wooded area nestled behind the residential neighborhood from Carmine Avenue to Highland Avenue off New Market, and the industrial properties on South Clinton Avenue. Two streams flow through it and the trail system offers visitors a chance to see wildflowers and wildlife in a variety of forest habitats.
Many studies have shown that litter can be very harmful to animals. They may become entangled, may be injured on sharp objects, and some may mistake various plastic items for food. As one of the few natural areas left in South Plainfield, the Nature Reserve needs to be maintained as a safe refuge for wildlife as well as for the human members of the community.
For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact the Clean Communities Coordinator at (908) 226-7621 or e-mail atempel@southplainfieldnj.com .
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