Adopt a Spot
Environmental Commission
Adopt-A-Spot
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 .
CUB PACK 224 ADOPTS VETERANS PARK
Emily Raphel , new Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 224 Riley School, has signed a new agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association to remove litter from Veterans Park. The park offers various amenities: a picnic area, playground, basketball, softball and soccer fields; so, there is something going on there in most seasons. And in New Jersey it seems that when people congregate for nearly any purpose, they leave litter in their wake.
As many as twenty cub scouts and adults will walk the park on the first Sunday of each month. They will survey the grounds and equipment for any needed repairs, and notify the Recreation Department. They will remove litter, recyclables and trash from the woods line, grounds and parking lot. The park lies between the Cedar Brook and the Bound Brook, so litter removal is especially important to prevent floatables from washing into the streams. Plastic pollution in streams and lakes damages the aquatic environment. Litter carried downstream can end up in the ocean, threatening wildlife.
Veterans Park is part of the civic center of the Borough, adjacent to the Senior Center and the Fireman’s Memorial. CBA President Joe Diegnan is happy to have this Spot included in the network of adoptions in this area. 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 less cost to the taxpayer.
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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