Pol & Nonprofit Enhance Sanitation Svces.
Much of the Myrtle Avenue shopping strip in Glendale will receive additional sanitation services courtesy of some “men in blue.”
The Doe Fund, a nonprofit group that provides supplemental trash pickups and street cleaning to shopping districts across the city, will dispatch crews three days a week to Myrtle Avenue between Cooper Avenue and Fresh Pond Road.
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Doe Fund President George McDonald announced the new services during a press conference last Thursday, July 17, at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 70th Street.
For some observers, the extra sanitation services on Myrtle Avenue were much needed. At past meetings, local residents and business owners complained of overflowing public waste baskets and litter-lined sidewalks along the strip.
Through $61,800 in funding Crowley allocated in the city’s 2015 fiscal year budget, The Doe Fund’s crews will bring their services not only to Myrtle Avenue but also Grand Avenue in Maspeth between 61st and 74th streets.
The Doe Fund’s crews include individuals beginning a year-long transitional program of work, education, housing and career development.
“This program is a win-win: keeping our community clean, while simultaneously providing jobs, education and career development services for hard-working New Yorkers trying to turn their lives around and make a positive impact,” Crowley said. “This is only the beginning, and I look forward to expanding this program over the next several years.”
“By choosing The Doe Fund’s men in blue’ to service Myrtle Avenue and the surrounding area, Ms. Crowley is leading by example, providing our men the opportunity and work they need to transform thir lives, while improving the cleanliness and safety of the district’s streets,” added McDonald.
