Spring cleaning

RONAN AND POLSON — It’s that time of year again — Time to dust off the cobwebs and dig out the yard tools, especially if you live in Ronan orPolson where the effort to clean up the streets is contagious.

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The city of Ronan and the Ronan Area Chamber of Commerce are coming together to help residents get their yards and city parks in shape for spring. On Saturday, April 16, starting at 9 a.m., coffee and donuts will kick off a city-wide spring cleaning day. Residents can meet at the Ronan City Park to grab gloves and trash bags before heading out on the town.

“We have had really positive input, everybody is really excited about it,” Ellen Kaphammer, city council member and one of the event organizers, said.

In the past, the chamber has provided dumpsters for residents to use at their convenience. However, according to Kaphammer, those dumpsters tended to fill by Friday night and were a complete mess.

“This is the first year that we’ll have people out helping,” she said. “What we’re trying to eliminate is where stuff gets put in there that shouldn’t.”

There will still be dumpsters this year: one by the city shop, between main and round butte, two at the park, across from the fire hall, and the last at True Value in Ronan.

“Everything will go to the transfer station or to the landfill,” Kaphammer said of the waste. “We may have some larger burn piles going too.”

In addition to coffee and donuts in the morning, St. Paul Lutheran Church will provide workers with a lunch at the park, creating a welcoming place for them to go and take breaks throughout the day.

Contact the city offices at 676-4231 or Kaphammer at 676-8666 to offer services, arrange a pick up or request additional help from volunteers.

“If they call us and we have enough help, we’ll do whatever is needed,” she said. “Tires, paint, batteries, even old vehicles can be scooped up with the city crew equipment.”

Electronics are not included in this event because there will be a separate electronics collection on April 19 and 20 at SKC and the Lake County Transfer station, respectively.

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Polson city employees will be getting down and dirty on Friday, April 29 in a massive clean-up effort to promote pride in the city and get ready for spring.

“Main Street looks good, things are starting to pick up,” Polson parks superintendent Karen Sargeant said. “There is a huge movement to clean up Polson for our residents and our visitors.”

So, the city has set aside a day for its workers, both on the clock and off, to tour the city limits, pick up downed branches, leaves and general yard waste from the curb and haul it away.

“We’ve had a rough winter and there’s a lot of yard waste,” she said. “A lot of people can’t haul their own debris away and don’t want to burn it, so we will pick everything up, and it will get recycled.”

What do you do with a whole city’s worth of yard waste? Sargeant said the plan is to donate the materials to the community garden where it will become an essential piece of the permaculture puzzle. Building up, not digging down is the community garden motto, and that requires a lot of composting materials — a win-win for the city as a whole.

“We are encouraging neighbors to help neighbors,” she said. “Have some pride in your city.”

For the elderly or disabled residents who need additional help, Sargeant said help is available on Saturday, April 23. Call her office at 883-8206 with your name, address and a contact number to request the aid of Boy Scout Troop 1947.

One last note, be sure to have all yard waste on the curb for pick up before April 29 so it’s ready to go.