Beneath the shady trees at Cobbs Creek Parkway and Whitby Avenue, April Burgess, Cindy Burgess, James Quigley, and Andrew Wheeler, part of the Florence Ave. Team of Cobbs Creek Trail and Parkway cleanup volunteers rest from their labors. Community members are cordially invited to join this effort to keep our own city park beautiful and welcoming.
Additional community clean-up volunteers welcome!
By Ted Behr
Organized several years ago, there is a growing squad of residents who volunteer selflessly on a regular basis to keep the trails and walkways along Cobb Creek Park clean and welcoming. The originators were Rich Guffanti and Andrew Wheeler who have now been joined another 37 volunteers. The community minded men and women are formed up into seven teams each of which is organized and coordinated with energetic leaders.
So far just this year, they have put in over 360 hours of hard work and collected more than a ton (2200 lbs of trash. Team leaders arrange for the required equipment: rakes, shovels, brooms, buckets, and pickup tongs, to be at an appointed location on each collection day. Participants are encouraged to bring their own work gloves but a supply of them is also provided – along with a supply of cool drinking water which is necessary and welcome on the warm spring and summer days.
A short walk with the Florence Avenue Team several weeks ago was a revealing experience (especially when shamed into joining in with the cleanup for an hour!) The quantity and variety of objects that insensitive people casually throw on the ground was astounding. Not surprisingly, with the pandemic going on, there were several dozen discarded face masks in just 100 yards of clean up along the Parkway.
Like-minded community members are most welcome to join in this effort. For good order and coordination, new volunteers are urged to contact the team leader in advance to make sure of the meeting time and exact start-off point.
2021 Cobbs Creek Park Cleanups
Location & Leaders Schedule Day Time
Catherine St Tennis Court Weekly Wed 8 – 9
Temwa, 215-796-3223 TemwaWright@gmail.com
137 N Gross St Weekly Thurs 6 – 8
Dana & Amy, 610-405-1293 DanaHenry023@gmail.com
60th St & CCP Weekly Sat 9 – 12
Rich, 215-407-3989 RichGuffanti@yahoo.com
Christian St. & CCP Monthly 2nd Sat 9 – 11
Kevin, 215-425-3874 KevinInTheHall@gmail.com
61st St & CCP Monthly 1st Sat 9 – 12
Larry & Candice, 215-221-2830 lszmulow@gmail.com
Florence & CCP Monthly 1st Sat 9 – 12
April & Cynthia, 267-707-5467 Akburg3@yahoo.com
Thomas Ave & CCP Monthly 3rd Sat 2 – 4pm
Bethany, 215-303-7815 bteigen42@gmail.com
