Hold Saturday May 15 on Your Calendars! Wilmington’s Community Clean-Up Day Returns and You Are Invited to the First in a Series of Open Streets Wilmington Events
April 21, 2021
Neighborhood groups can register now for this year’s Saturday morning clean-up; The Urban Bike Project, West Side Grows Together, and the Open Streets Steering Committee will present Open Streets Wilmington on Saturday afternoon along Market Street from 4th to 10th Street
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today urged residents and groups around the City to participate in a family-centered, socially distanced, and face-masked day of healthy fun and community projects on Saturday, May 15. While COVID-19 and the spread of the virus are still serious concerns, the Mayor said he is confident that residents can gather safely and responsibly to complete both a City-wide clean up in the morning as part of the City’s Beautiful City Campaign and enjoy a healthy and fun event in the afternoon.
The Saturday, May 15 schedule includes:
•Wilmington’s annual Community Clean-Up Day, which will return for its 10th year after being cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic. Clean-up projects will be held throughout the City from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
•The first in a series of Open Streets Wilmington [openstreetswilmington.org] events to be held this summer at various locations in the City. For Saturday, May 15, Open Streets Wilmington will be held on Market Street in Downtown Wilmington. The street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 4th through 10th streets from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.to accommodate the first of a series of Open Streets Wilmington events.
Details of Wilmington’s 10th Annual Community Clean-Up Day
Residents, businesses, civic and church groups are asked to show their community spirit by organizing activities that beautify and improve their neighborhoods. To register, send an email to CommunityCleanUpDay@WilmingtonDe.gov with the following information:
•The name of your neighborhood, civic, or community group;
•The number of people participating in your group;
•The type of project you have organized (e.g., beautification, clean-up or other);
•The area or boundaries of your project.
Once you are registered, the Office of Constituent Services will contact you to help with items such as trash bags, yard waste bags, gloves, and trash pickers. Special thanks to the helpful staff at The Home Depot on Miller Road (Store 8440) for assisting the City and community with this year’s event.
The deadline to register for the community clean-up is Friday May 7, so REGISTER TODAY!
In 2019, when the last clean-up was held, more than 70 community groups, including churches, businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations, participated by improving neighborhoods and public green spaces. Some groups focused on collecting trash and debris, while others planted flowers, updated landscaping, or started a community garden project.
Details of Open Spaces Wilmington
Everyone from around the City is invited to the first in a series of Open Spaces Wilmington events, which will be held on May 15 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Market Street from 4th to 10th Streets. Open Streets create a safe, car-free environment for residents of all ages and abilities to enjoy time outside walking, biking, and more. Most of Market Street will be closed off to vehicular traffic for this special day so residents can enjoy a healthy slate of activities, including:
•Outdoor fitness classes, children’s activities, and information provided by the YMCA [ymcade.org]
•Free bicycle repairs provided by Urban Bike Project [urbanbikeproject.com]
•Cooking demos and free giveaways of recipe cards and ingredient kits provided by the Food Bank of Delaware [fbd.org]
•1st and 2nd doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine and COVID PCR testing provided by CarePortMD [careportmd.com]
•First Aid and CPR informational tent provided by St. Francis Healthcare [trinityhealthma.org]
“Since March of last year, traffic to Urban Bike Project’s shop has more than doubled,” says Laura Wilburn, Executive Director of Urban Bike Project. “Bicycling has given a lot of residents a socially-distant way to enjoy the outdoors and take care of their health. A lot of our new customers are families, folks who haven’t ridden bikes in decades, and older folks. We hear a lot of questions from visitors where to ride their bikes in Wilmington. We love to recommend the Jack Markell Trail and Brandywine Park, and now we have a third option with Open Streets Wilmington, bringing safe opportunities for outdoor recreation to neighborhoods across the City.”
Open Streets Wilmington is a collaborative initiative of Urban Bike Project, West Side Grows Together [westsidegrows.org], and the Open Streets Steering Committee, a coalition of community representatives. Open Streets Wilmington is also presented by HighMark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware [highmarkbcbsde.com] through their grant fund Blueprints for the Community [highmark.com]. For more information, visit www.openstreetswilmington.org [openstreetswilmington.org]