Mr. Larry Prevatte has actively been fighting litter in the City of Vestavia Hills for years, picking up litter off the streets, removing old signs and otherwise keeping our community tidy. Mr. Prevatte recognized littering as a growing problem and took the initiative, in consultation with the city administration, to form the Keep Vestavia Clean Committee.

The Keep Vestavia Clean committee, chaired by Mr. Larry Prevatte, was formed in early 2007 to promote efforts to keep litter out of Vestavia Hills. Committee members recruit teams of ten to twelve persons and lead them in performing cleanups several times a year in areas chosen by the committee members. Cleanups will be scheduled on selected Saturdays between 9 and 11 am. Sometimes groups may get together afterwards to celebrate a job well done.

There are already six areas in Vestavia Hills that have leaders who have adopted them as cleanup sites (two areas are covered by the same person). Residents are welcome to identify areas they see that need trash and clutter removal. Anyone interested in helping by joining a group, leading a group, or adopting an area can contact Larry Prevatte - 967-9209 or the The City Receptionist (Ms. Melissa Nicholas) - 978-0100. We want to hear from you!

Current Cleanup Sites:

As news about this anti litter campaign has spread in the community, residents have been calling in to volunteer and to tell us about their own personal campaign to keep our city free of litter. For example, some residents are collecting litter as they walk their neighborhoods! Please, let us know of your efforts to Keep Vestavia Clean, because we would like to acknowledge your contibutions here:

Our profound gratitude is extended to the following residents of our city:

BOB PACE picks up litter while he walks Georgia Avenue, Wickford Road, Overland Drive, Round Hill Road and Highway 31 up to Canyon Road.

LARRY PREVATTE picks up litter along Rocky Ridge Road from Highway 280 to the Rosemont Subdivision.

ELLEN BALLARD who picks up litter along Tara Lane Drive, Tara Lane Circle, Gay Way, Royal Circle, Panorama Lane and Panorama Drive.

ARTHUR BLACK - he fights litter along Massey Road (up to Pizitz Middle School), and Badham Drive. Mr. Black also has participated with Team Parker (Mary Ellen Parker's crew) to clean up the Morgan Road area.

Team Clean Up Report

We have had three clean up days since we started this spring. These small teams have proven that you do not need big teams to make a a big difference!

TEAM PARKER, led by Mary Ellen Parker, is a young and enthusiastic group. Team Parker volunteers include Mary Ellen Parker, William Parker, Sam Pattanaik, Jim Barklay, Will Barclay, Ben Mills, Meg Barclay, Bill Parker, and Arthur Black. Together, this group has spent over 40 hours working in the Vestavia Hills High School area along Morgan Road.

TEAM PHILLIPS, led by Pam Phillips, have focused on the area around East Elementary School identified by Pam Phillips as a problem spot. Along with their team leader, volunteers Saralyn Richter, Dalton Richter, and Melissa Nicholas battled the August heat to remove ten bags of litter including beer cans, broken bottles, and an old kitchen knife from the area around the elementary school. Several bags of litter were also collected from a stretch along Massey Road.

Here are some pictures of the clean-up activity

Guidelines for the Cleanup Teams

Safety

The city is grateful to all volunteers that participate in keeping Vestavia Clean. The city administration is very concerned about the safety of those who participate in organized roadside cleanup activity. Therefore, we suggest compliance with the following safety rules:

1. All participants in a roadside cleanup action should wear safety vests. It will be the responsibility of the crew leader to secure a vest for each one of the members of his/her crew and insist that they are worn during clean-up sessions.

Vests are available on loan from the city. The crew leader must notify the city in advance (Ms. Melissa Nicholas at 978-0100) of the number of safety vests he/she will need for his/her crew. The crew leader must reserve safety vests no later than Wednesday before the scheduled Saturday cleanup session.

Provided vests have been ordered, they may be picked up at the main reception area of City Hall (513 Montgomery Highway) during regular business hours (8:00 am - 5:00 pm) Monday through Friday prior to the Saturday of the scheduled cleanup activity. The return location for vests is the same except as noted below.

The team leader or his/her representative must sign out the vests. It is also the team leader's responsibility to ensure that the vests are returned in a timely fashion. Vests may be returned on Saturdays up until 1:00 PM at Fire station #1 (next to City Hall on Highway 31), or during regular business hours (8:00 am - 5:00 pm) Monday through Friday of the week following the Saturday cleanup session.

2. Even though each volunteer is responsible for his or her own safety, the administration of the City of Vestavia Hills strongly urges all volunteers to wear safety vests. The attitude of the city administration is that personal safety must be a primary consideration and should always be placed first by both team leaders and participants.

3. Another important safety precaution is to post “Men Working” signs along the roadway being cleaned. Such signs should be posted in both travel directions to ensure that motorists are alerted to the cleanup activity. Again, it will be the crew leader’s responsibility to contact the City no later than Wednesday of the week of the Saturday cleanup to arrange to have these signs picked up in time for posting by the team leader or his/her designee. Please call Ms. Melissa Nicholas at 978-0100 to reserve them and for information on pickup and return of these traffic-warning signs.

4. At the discretion of the city administration and the Chief of Police, police patrols may be increased in the areas of the city where voluntary cleanup efforts are ongoing. In areas where the traffic density and the potential for accidents are high, a police cruiser may be assigned to protect the voluntary cleanup crew throughout their cleanup session.

5. Team leaders are encouraged to contact The City Receptionist (Ms. Melissa Nicholas) - 978-0100 to report any safety issues of concern to them. She will convey such expressed concerns to the appropriate city authorities.

Disposal

Routine Litter Pickup – Litter picked up on a routine basis should be bagged and included with personal garbage/trash whenever possible. If litter cannot be placed with personal garbage/trash for pickup, the dumpsters at the City Public Works Station on Highway 31 (by the closed Winn Dixie store) will be available from 9 - 11:30 am Monday through Saturday.

Cleanup Events – During team cleanup events, the team leaders must plan for one or more volunteers to remove the bagged litter from the roadway(s). Bagged litter can be taken to the dumpsters as specified in the previous paragraph.

No trash or litter is to be left at the City Public Works station unless it is deposited within the dumpster. Litter or bagged litter may NOT be placed next to the dumpsters or elswhere on the ground either inside or outside the fence. If this rule is not strictly adhered to, we may loose access to the City Public Works station. Thank you for observing the above guidelines!

Please contact the City Receptionist, Ms. Melissa Nicholas, at 978-0100 if you need additional information about any of these guidelines.

A calendar will be kept listing all planned activities of the Keep Vestavia Clean Committee. Ms. Nicholas maintains this calendar. Any questions about, or requests for postings to, this calendar should be directed to Ms. Nicholas. Please, access this calendar by clicking HERE