By Kristan Huntley

On Saturday, January 8, several brave volunteers bundled up and came out to help clean up the area around the McLean trestle. There were many, many leaves packed on the sidewalk and the street, posing a pedestrian hazard and possible issue with storm water drainage. With an impending snow, the clean up was even more necessary and timely.

A big thank you goes out to our dedicated volunteers who were awesome! They were: David Early, Emily Bishop, James Mayo, Beverly Cooper, Brad Gilmer, and Chris Hardesty.

Many thanks to David Cleveland at Cortona for providing a warm place for us to gather as folks arrived at the Gazebo and a very special thanks to our friends at Stewart Brothers who donated two boxes of trash bags for the clean-up. They were much needed – after all the leaves and litter was gathered, we had 67 bags filled!

Keep an eye out for the next clean-up, and if you are interested in starting a block-level clean-up campaign or want to get involved with the Beautification Committee, please e-mail Kristan Huntley at k.huntle@yahoo.com.

By Maggie Cardwell

Andy Ashby and the CYCA Beautification Committee organized volunteers to clean alleys on Saturday, July 26th. Sharron Johnson picked up tools for the event from Memphis City Beautiful. Thanks go out to Beverly and Steve Cooper, Stephanie Gifford, Chris McHaney, Debbie Sowell, Rachel Cox, Mark Morrison, and Kristan Huntley. These CY residents got a big helping hand from a group of volunteers who are doing community service work from Shelby County. Thanks to Aaron Boone, Issac Brown, Michael Brown, Edward Gardner, Melvin Keller, Donald Kincy, Sidney Nixon, Michael Newby, Gary Schrecker, Marcus Stevenson and Carlos Tidwell. John Ryan with Shelby County government was also a big help organizing these workers.

By Rodney Nash

I love water. There’s almost nothing I love more than jumping into a cool, clear lake or river on a hot summer day. I will even swim in the muddy Mississippi. That’s why I hope that the folks upstream have a Stormwater Program like the City of Memphis, to ensure runoff is clear and uncontaminated as it flows out to our surrounding bodies of water. We were the first city in the country to have a stormwater collection system installed after the Yellow Fever epidemic of the 1800’s. We are now initiating this citywide program to deal with groundwater issues. The rainfall, in our immediate area, flows into the storm drain system that feeds into three main tributaries to the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, or it collects in the sand aquifers and goes back underground. Therefore, it is crucial that we keep the flow unimpeded and keep groundwater pollution to a minimum, or ideally, eliminate it altogether.

Your CYCA needs volunteers to help label and maintain the neighborhood storm drains. The curbside inlets and grates get clogged with too much debris, both natural and manmade, for them to collect and drain all of the runoff, especially during periods of heavy rainfall. Ordinarily, there are city crews that work to keep them clear and fully functional, but they are overtaxed. According to Sharon Gordon, Storm Water Projects Coordinator for the city’s Division of Public Works, the majority of street flooding during the recent heavy rains is due to clogged storm drains!

CYCA representatives, with Sharon, recently mapped some of the more than 200 storm drains in the neighborhood, and assessed their condition and functionality. On Saturday, June 26 at 9 am, we will meet at the Gazebo at Cooper and Young to begin the process of labeling them. Our goal is to get as many identified as possible to increase awareness of their location, and stress the importance of the issues around maintaining them and preserving groundwater quality. Please join us and help us reach our goal. We are also seeking residents to participate in an “Adopt a Storm Drain” program. If you would be willing to contribute to this effort, or already do and would like to notify us, we are attempting to get every drain in every location in the community adopted.

To reduce or eliminate groundwater contamination:

• NEVER pour anything harmful on the ground, into the gutters, or the storm drains!
• RECYCLE or dispose chemicals and paint properly on hazardous waste collection day, or at the city’s designated HWC site. Businesses such as AutoZone and JiffyLube collect motor oil, as well.
• COMPOST or mulch leaves, clippings, and other yard waste.
• CLEAN loose dirt, sand, rubble, litter, or any other material out of the gutters and drain openings.
• REDUCE the amounts of chemicals used on lawns, eliminate the phosphorous in fertilizers (most soil has enough), and sweep any excess off walks and driveways. Remember compost and manure contain phosphorous, too. It feeds algae blooms and reduces the amount of oxygen in fish habitats.
• AVOID excess watering and runoff.
• REMOVE pet waste and dispose properly. The best method is flushing.
• WASH vehicles in a car wash that treats or recycles wastewater, or wash cars on the lawn where greywater can be absorbed into the ground.
• USE common sense and be conscious of the fact that anything that washes down a storm drain is ultimately discharged into the groundwater system.
• HELP us label the storm drains on Saturday, June 26th. See you there!

Next in this column: Increasing participation in curbside recycling, and expanding recycling efforts in plastics, scrap metal (Airways Iron & Metal, 2103 Person, west off Airways south), electronics (www.5processors.com), household goods (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Amvets on Summer), etc.

Search online or consult the yellow pages for scrapyards and other locations that take recyclables.

If you have information on more specialized and thorough methods of recycling that can be included, please email me: rnash57@yahoo.com.

What does the year hold?

This year at the CYCA board retreat, we had to get down to some basics! We, as a board, will be working on expanding our committee structure and reaching out to you for your help. I am putting our board members to the task of seeking out people to join their committee by putting together a plan for their committee and setting expectations. So when you are potentially tapped on the shoulder, you will be told exactly what is needed of you. Are you willing to except the call to serve?

Coming in March:

Saturday, March 27th– Meet at 9 am at the gazebo for a good old neighborhood clean-up. We’re going to focus on picking up trash and general clean-up at CY’s Gateways and the Gazebo. We’ll have water, trash bags, and tools.

Coming in April:

April General Meeting– This meeting will hold elections for our board of directors. A slate will be printed in the April LampLighter. This election will be for the positions of President and Treasurer.

Art for Art’s Sake Auction– Enough said! You all know this is a fun and exciting event!

Cooper-Young Yard Sale– We have decided to hold the neighborhood-wide yard sale again! We have scheduled this event for Saturday, April 24th, from 8 am–2 pm, rain or shine! Clean out the corners of your house, make room for a clean beginning, and make a little money, too.

Debbie Sowell