The city of Danville invites all citizens to take the “Make Danville Shine Pledge” to spend an hour, a day or a weekend to beautify their homes and neighborhoods during the month of May.
To assist in the effort, all pledge-takers are invited to attend a Make Danville Shine Expo that will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, at the Community Market on Craghead Street. At the expo, citizens can learn home maintenance tips and meet with home improvement experts in the fields of landscaping, painting, roofing, siding, masonry, electrical, plumbing and pest control.
“The Make Danville Shine Home Expo is free and open to the public, and it will provide opportunities to learn about home repair and ask questions about city services,” said Jerry Rigney, director of inspections for the Community Development Department. “It also will allow tradesmen to display skills, expertise and knowledge to potential customers.”
This expo will kick off the second annual Make Danville Shine campaign, which is a month-long initiative to encourage residents to clean-up, paint-up and fix-up their property.
To take the pledge, go to www.MakeDanvilleShine.com.
“We urge all citizens to get involved and do their part at their house or in their neighborhood,” Rigney said. “We’re talking about simple steps that every citizen can do around their house, such as clean the gutters, paint the exterior, landscape the yard and clear their property of weeds, vines and overgrowth.”
Residents also can set debris, trash, appliances and furniture at the curbside for city Public Works crews to pick up.
In support of the cleanup campaign, the Public Works Department again this year 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.
Mayor Sherman Saunders on April 15 officially declared the month of May as “Make Danville Shine” month. The goal of the “Make Danville Shine” campaign is to encourage every citizen to focus on maintenance, upkeep and beautification of their property and to assist neighbors who may not be able to do so due to age or disability.
Saunders and other city officials point out that it’s the intangible things like a clean community that make a difference in promoting business growth and the community as a whole.
