Clean Sweep Planned In Resort

OCEAN CITY — Spearheaded by the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC), the Ocean City Clean Sweep project aims to tidy up the resort and remove any lingering clutter held over from the last summer season.
“This is an initiative that the mayor wanted just to increase awareness, to try something where we bring awareness to homeowners to go out and reach around their property and pick up whatever loose ends are there,” said Wayne Hartman, chair of the Clean Up Committee.
Clutter is not as much of a problem in Ocean City as it could be, given the huge increase in population during the summer, according to Hartman. He credited the town’s public works employees for marshaling the mess, but said that they could use some help from volunteers.
“So I guess the goal is to try to expand the reach of the city employees and just try to get awareness from the homeowners,” Hartman said.
OCDC will be drumming up volunteers for this first annual Clean Sweep event, with the first 50 registered volunteers receiving a free shirt. A free lunch will be provided to everyone who pitches in. The plan is to cover all of downtown between the Inlet and 17th Street, encompassing the Boardwalk to the bay.
“We want to eliminate any trash remaining after the season so that this winter’s prevailing winds aren’t moving any trash around to the bays or the beach,” said Hartman.
Volunteers will walk the streets downtown performing a literal clean sweep of the area. Along with trash and litter, an emphasis is being placed on collecting any cigarette butts on the ground. There will be a lot of little rewards for those who are able to gather the discarded cigarettes.
“We want people to trade in buckets of butts for buckets of treats,” said Hartman. “And then just picking up whatever loose trash is around.”
For those who don’t directly sign up as volunteers, Hartman hopes that the message of keeping Ocean City clean will still come across and that individuals will take charge themselves to tidy their own property and the public ways around them. The Ocean City Fire Department will also be on hand for the event and will be washing down some streets once OCDC volunteers have been by.
The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. until noon and will be based out of the OCDC office at 108 Dorchester Street. For more information, call 410-289-7739 or email [email protected]