Mayor Sherman Saunders encouraged all citizens to take pride in their property, their neighborhood and their community as the city of Danville officially commenced its “Make Danville Shine” campaign with a kickoff celebration on Saturday at Ballou Park.
“Make Danville Shine” is a month-long campaign to clean-up, paint-up and fix-up property in Danville.
"When we take pride in our property, we feel good about ourselves, our neighborhood looks better and our community looks better," Saunders said. "We have no idea who may want to invest in the city. Potential investors may just be passing through our community or they may be checking us out on the World Wide Web. When they see us take pride in our city, they want to take a second look at what we have to offer."
City Manager Joe King urged citizens to "brag" about what they are doing by submitting photos of their cleanup efforts. To submit photos, email them to MakeDanvilleShine@ci.danville.va.us. They will be posted to the city’s website – www.danville-va.gov – and its Facebook page – www.facebook.com/CityOfDanville.
"It is perfectly OK if you are just working on your own property," King said. "We want you to brag about what you are doing."
T-shirts, paint and supplies were distributed at the ceremony.
The community-wide cleanup campaign is the first in several years, but city officials hope it will become an annual event.
In support of the campaign, the Public Works Department will allow oversized piles of separated yard waste and household debris to be placed at residential curbsides for collection. It also will waive the cost of tire disposal for up to four tires per household, and it will waive restrictions on construction and demolition debris for the month.
By appointment, crews will collect heavy debris such as bricks, rock and cinder blocks. The department’s mobile recycling trailer will be placed in strategic locations throughout the city.
For neighborhood cleanups, groups can make an appointment for use of roll-off containers.
Public Works will waive rental fees for a grapple “bucket” truck and an 18 cubic-yard trailer. Appointments are required for the rental of the truck and trailer.
Any citizen or group wanting more information about the “Make Danville Shine” campaign may contact the Community Development Department at 799-5261 or go the city’s website and then click on the clean-up, paint-up, fix-up tab on the left rail of the page. The website also provides links to educational information regarding property maintenance.
