The Woodhaven Business Improvement District (BID) hosted a community cleanup event on Saturday morning, April 15, to help give a little sparkle to the Jamaica Avenue corridor.
Volunteers convened at 92-17 Jamaica Ave., gathering brooms, dust pans, trash pickers and garbage bags to tackle the litter issue on the avenue. BID members and volunteers cleaned up trash from the corner to Forest Parkway.
“In order for us to show people that Jamaica Avenue is a destination, we need to make sure that our streets are clean,” said Woodhaven BID Executive Director John Perricone. “It just directly helps the business owners as well by lending a hand and making sure their storefronts are appealing to people.”
Perricone attributed the trash problem to the heavy foot traffic of Jamaica Avenue, which hosts high numbers of commuters through the elevated J/Z train. He believes even residents who don’t live on the avenue understand that cleanliness will benefit the community overall.
James McClelland, Community Board 9 district manager, echoed that sentiment, saying these types of events show that people care about the community.
“Litter is a problem, it’s a quality of life issue, so I’m glad the BID organized this,” McClelland told QNS.
The event also brought volunteers from outside the community, like John Ziegler, who grew up in Woodhaven but now lives on Long Island.
“I haven’t lived in Woodhaven going on 42 years now but ever since they started doing it … I try to participate in it just because I take pride in the neighborhood,” Ziegler said. “It’s nice to give back to the community that gave me my start.”
The Woodhaven BID hosted the cleanup in partnership with the city Department of Sanitation, Community Board 9 and the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. Perricone hopes to host another cleanup later in the summer and encourages community members to volunteer.
