St. Thomas is getting a face wash Saturday morning that should have the island if not exactly gleaming, at least more presentable.
The St. Thomas-St. John Anti-Litter and Beautification Commission is conducting its second annual "Putting on a Clean Face" project starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, with several hundred volunteers from more than seven community groups already signed up. "And more are calling in every day," said Geraldine Smith, the commission's executive director.
Smith is urging all groups, organizations and individuals to volunteer a few hours on Saturday to "help spruce up this beautiful island we call home."
Setting the pace for the project, 140 volunteers from the Charlotte Amalie High School Jr. ROTC will begin at 7 a.m. at the Lockhart Gardens parking lot and proceed to the intersection at the top of Frenchman's Reef Hill. Most other groups, Smith said, will start around 8 a.m. Covering downtown Charlotte Amalie will be the Junior Firefighters, the Girl Scouts of America, We from Upstreet and crews from the commission's own beautification program.
The UVI Black Engineering Society will clean up around the V.I. Water and Power Authority Krum Bay plant and the airport road, and the Civil Air Patrol will cover Nadir to Bolongo Beach. The Caribbean Film and Video Association will clean at Lindquist Beach on Smith Bay.
Smith said she had just received a call from Bill Peeks, who said he was a part-time resident from Colorado who "just wanted to do his part." Smith assigned him to a group on Cassi Hill.
The commission will supply garbage bags and some cleaning tools, Smith said, along with a limited number of T-shirts, and Coca Cola is donating drinks to the volunteers. Smith said she expected the cleanup to be finished by about 1 p.m. To volunteer, or get more information, call Smith at 777-3073.
