Lynners: Clean downtown; board: We are

LYNN – Minne Oji?s chances of addressing the city Cleanliness Board are slim – its members acknowledge they can?t remember the last time they met – but if she got that chance, the downtown resident said she would deliver a simple message to officials charged with overseeing tidiness in the city?s center.?We could use a little more cleaning around here,” Oji said.The Olympia Square apartment building resident said her neighbors sweep around the building but said city officials need to do more to keep trash and dirt off downtown streets and sidewalks. Stacie Alves agreed. She frequently walks downtown and said police and city public works officials need to reduce drug dealing and prostitution downtown, along with litter.?It looks bad,” she said.Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Director James Cowdell said board members are paying attention to downtown cleanliness. He said the board checks to make sure downtown street sweeping schedules are maintained and trash barrels dotting downtown streets are emptied.Cal?s News owner Barry Calvani said longtime downtown businesses, including Cal?s, are working to keep downtown clean. He said the city does a good job sweeping streets.Formed in 2006 under former Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr.?s administration, the Cleanliness Board was created to deal with downtown problems, including trash and rodents, according to a brief board description available in the City Clerk?s office.Cowdell is a board member along with city Health Director MaryAnn O?Connor, Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan, Community Development Director James Marsh and the city?s Public Works commissioner – currently Andrew Hall.Marsh said “it?s been awhile” since the board met, but said members speak weekly to coordinate cleanup work with the mayor?s office, public works and the Inspectional Services Department.He said board members identified “hot spots” downtown where cleanup efforts should be focused, including convenience stores and eateries with high customer volume.?In front of some of these businesses, trash will blow across the street,” he said.Edward Wade has never heard of the Cleanliness Board, but he said the city needs to assign workers with brooms and leaf blowers to keep sidewalks clean. On a scale of 1 through 10, with 10 representing spotlessly clean, Wade gave the city?s downtown cleanup efforts a “5.”Marsh said the city relies on summer youth workers to sweep and pick up trash in July and August and coordinates with Sheriff Frank Cousins? office to assign supervised individuals to conduct additional cleanups.Ideally, he said the city needs a coordinated downtown cleanup starting in April, when snow and ice melts, and running through November. He said keeping downtown streets clean requires city attention and business participation with store and shop owners disposing of trash piling up between their front door and street gutters.Downtown resident Anthony Rivera said city officials can take a tip from Washington, D.C., counterparts and beautify downtown.?They can plant flowers,” he said.Cowdell said the city?s success in attracting new businesses to formerly vacant downtown buildings has reduced trash and kept sidewalks cleaner.?Instead of vacant storefronts, you have buildings with businesses in them,” he said.