From Nadir to Frenchman's Hill, the waterfront to the airport, Fort Mylner and Lionel Roberts Stadium, the island got a facelift last weekend from hundreds of participants in the second annual "Putting on a Clean Face" project of the Anti-Litter and Beautification Commission of St. Thomas-St. John.
The project just cleaned up downtown St. Thomas last year, said Geraldine Smith, executive director of the commission, but this year "we got out in the country," she said. Several community organizations helped in the effort, none more vigorously than the 140 members of the Charlotte Amalie High School Jr. ROTC.
The group had split up into about 10 "trash parties," and combed the area between the Lockhart parking lot and Frenchman's Hill. A glance at the spotless roadside revealed their labors, nary a single piece of paper or cardboard cup to be seen, not even a tiny plastic spoon.
Another area sparkling late Saturday morning was around the derelict Yacht Haven hotel, home to countless pounds of refuse and food containers, as more groups attacked the debris.
Smith was very pleased with the effort. "They all were amazing," she said. The Girl Scouts had collected 42 bags of trash when they got caught in the rain between Nadir and Bolongo, but they vowed to return.
Participating groups included the UVI Black Engineering Society, who did a "remarkable job" by the airport, Junior Firefighters, Civil Air Patrol, We from Upstreet and crews from the commission's own beautification program.
Smith said tires were a problem: Since there is now a charge for shredding old tires, people have been leaving them on the side of the road.
Smith didn't have a total figure for the hundreds of bags of trash collected. She said there was an "inordinate" amount collected by the UVI group near the airport. Another area desperately in need of a spruce-up was Turpentine Run, with all the trailers housing bars there, Smith said.
Lionel Roberts Stadium had a party of one cleaning the whole area. "Barbara Simmonds, a lady living on the hill above there volunteered and cleaned the whole thing by herself," Smith said in awe. "She just asked for something to clean with."
"Then we have the fellow out by Long Bay who sweeps the street there every day on his own," she said. "If he needs anything, we give it to him."
