Historical April 1991 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Operation Brightside’s Blitz Saturday is scheduled for May 4 in our area. Skinker DeBaliviere neighbors are encouraged to spend a few hours that Saturday spring cleaning the neighborhood, particularly the alleys. Incredible as it may seem to some readers, 1991 marks the tenth annual Project Blitz.
It seems most incredible to Lucille Green, 61XX Westminster, who headed up the Operation Brightside agency and the Blitz program when they were founded in 1982.
While she is amazed that the first Blitz was nearly a decade ago, she is not surprised that the event has become such a great St. Louis tradition. “We knew that we had strong neighborhoods in St. Louis and people who were willing to give of their time and energy to make their neighborhoods more attractive. 10 years ago one of the biggest complaints residents made about the city was that it was not very attractive.
The Blitz program brought together money from businesses to buy garbage bags, publicity. etc., the city’s Refuse Division to provide a special Saturday trash pick-up and the Parks Department to provide flowers, special equipment, wood chips, etc.
When we provided these resources, neighborhood volunteers responded enthusiastically to clean up and beautify alleys, vacant lots and other public areas. St. Louisans don’t complain much about their city being unattractive anymore and Operation Brightside and the Blitz program are major reasons why.” Operation Brightside divides the city into eight regions and the regions into smaller “Areas” for the Blitz program. Brightside sponsors Blitz on four consecutive Saturdays for two regions each week.
The Areas within each region are assigned a Commander who is responsible for recruiting block captains and requesting flowers, tools, bags, special equipment, etc. for volunteers to use in their cleaning and planting efforts. Block captains get information about Blitz out to their neighbors and recruit volunteers to work on Blitz Saturday and clean their alley or other public areas, plant flowers, or work on a special project they select and organize. Special projects can be entered in a contest for cash prizes; winners are chosen in each region for best beautification and for best cleanup. Winners at the regional level compete citywide for prizes in the same categories. Flowers (marigolds and periwinkles), tools (brooms, rakes, shovels and weed whips), trash bags and regular and bulky trash pickup will all be available again this year on Blitz Saturday, May 4. Flowers and tools must be ordered three weeks in advance of Blitz, by April 15.
The Refuse Division will make regular and bulky trash pickups several times throughout the day on Blitz Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.
Please follow these important trash instructions during Blitz, and most of them throughout the year: Place trash items at normal refuse collection points: • Small items in dumpsters (be careful not to overload!) • Large items four feet away from dumpsters, or in the alley directly behind your home. Refuse trucks cannot empty a dumpster if there is any material within four feet of it. . • DO NOT BLOCK THE ALLEY. GARAGES, OR GATES WITH TRASH! • Loose debris must be bagged, bundled or placed in a dumpster—the refuse division cannot scoop, shovel or pick up piles of limbs, branches, dirt or other debris. • Car batteries, used motor oil, large appliances and tires will be recycled. HELP SUPPORT THE RECYCLING EFFORT—KEEP THESE ITEMS SEPARATE FROM OTHER BULKY ITEMS (e.g. furniture, tree limbs, etc.) • STOP putting out trash and bulky items by 3:00 p.m. • Do not call about trash not picked up until after 3:00 p.m.
If items have not been picked up by 3, call the Blitz Hotline, 781-4556.
It is the property owner’s responsibility to keep alleys clear of weeds and debris. Mark your calendar for May 4 and take advantage of these special Blitz services and be sure property is up to code.
The Area Commander for Blitz in our area is Nancy Farmer at the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council, 862-5122.
She is assisted by Blitz veteran, Sam Green.
If you want to order flowers or tools, contact your block captain.
If you don’t know the captain of your block, if you want to organize a special project, or if you need additional information, call the SDCC.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April 1991.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1991_04.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 7; PDF page(s) 1, 7.
