Artesia News

Southeast Artesia Holds Neighborhood Cleanup


Citizens of southeast Artesia volunteered for a Neighborhood Cleanup on June 18.

When City Council was working with local residents a few months back, to decide whether to approve name changes for 191st-194th Streets in Artesia, residents vowed that this name change was only the first step in improving the neighborhood's conditions. Community members began working together to develop programs that would begin the revitalization of the community. One of the major issues presented was that the neighborhood needed to be cleaned.

“Almost daily, there are large items being dumped at the old railroad crossing by Flora Vista or people putting old furniture, mattresses, etc. in front of their homes in hopes that someone will pick it up,” said Soledad Gutierrez, an organizer for the event. “Many people are not aware that they are able to call Consolidated Disposal for large item pickups each week.”

Residents decided that this was a desperately needed project and contacted Artesia’s city manager, Maria Dadian, to ask city council for funding a Neighborhood Cleanup. Dadian said a neighborhood cleanup in this area had been done in the past and it was not very successful. However, Dadian received approval and organizers began going door to door, notifying residents of the event.

Gutierrez said, “I proposed the event and modeled it after Hawaiian Gardens' Neighborhood Cleanup. However, our project was solely based upon the efforts of volunteers and not city employees.”

However, Artesia did provide maintenance worker Albert Gonzales, who worked side by side with the volunteers to make this project successful.

Approximately 20 volunteers and along with Gonzalez participated in the Neighborhood Cleanup. A team of five volunteers drove around the neighborhood collecting large items from the homes of senior citizens, and the disabled. Although the task of picking up large items from a long list of residents on their only day off seemed tiresome, the team soon began having fun knowing they were working for a good cause.

Andrew Zaragoza said "Although we were working, we had a lot of fun! When are we doing this again?"

Lifelong Artesia resident Paul Avila brought out his skiploader and began helping neighbors haul away tree clippings and other large items. He worked all day not only in his own yard, but in that of many others who could not haul away their trash due to medical conditions.

“This event not only helped to cleanup our neighborhood, but also truly began the process of creating a neighborhood environment. On every street you could find neighbors helping each other load trucks, unload items into the bins, picking up items left on the curbs by others, dragging items too large to put into a truck, and having fun while doing it,” said Gutierrez.

People congregated at the bins and began talking about other events or programs that they felt were needed in our community. Maria Ledesma suggested that the empty lot on Flora Vista that previously housed the train tracks be transformed into a park. Ledesma lives across the street from the empty lot and often sees people dumping trash there and later kids playing on it.

Others recommended that we have this event more often and suggested ideas to make the event even more successful. Everyone was very optimistic that neighborhood conditions would improve if all worked together to bring change.

There were three stations, with a total of six bins. Residents were asked to complete a survey and sign in to present a report to City Council on the success of the program. Sadly, the volunteers closed the doors to the last bin at 12:10 PM and had to turn away people who had come too late, when the bins were already completely filled. Many residents responded that they wished to have brought more bins. Each bin was filled to the brim and many residents stated that they still had many more items that they could have disposed of. One resident stated, "If you had more bins and stayed here all day, I would bring truckloads of trash all day long."

This project is only the beginning of a community effort to improve the dilapidated conditions in the southeast Artesian neighborhood.

Gutierrez vowed, “We will not let this be the last of our efforts to make South Artesia a community we can be proud of. However, it will take the hands of everyone who lives here to make these changes. This project proved that it is possible to make a difference and began the dialogue crucial to getting everyone involved.”

Volunteers were provided breakfast and lunch with the generous donations by Krispy Kreme's Donuts in Cerritos, Starbucks Coffee in Lakewood, Flames Original Hamburgers in Lakewood, Valentino's Pizza in Hawaiian Gardens, and Carniceria Durango in Artesia, and Julian's Tortilleria in Hawaiian Gardens.

Volunteers Andrew Rombal,
Andrew Zaragoza, Sean Miles,
Albert Gonzalez filling up the
bin at 193rd and Ely.

Andrew Rombal, Andrew Zaragoza,
Sean Miles, and Albert Gonzales
making sure the trash bin
was level and ready for pickup.

Paul Avila -- lifelong resident
of Artesia -- who brought out
a skiploader to help the
neighbors with large items.

 


 

 

 

 

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