Mayor John Gilstrap has officially declared the month of May as “Make Danville Shine Month.” The goal of the fifth annual “Make Danville Shine” campaign is to encourage residents to spend time cleaning up and fixing up their homes and neighborhoods.
To assist residents, the Community Development Department will hold its home improvement and lawn care expo, conduct contests and coordinate projects with neighborhood groups and organizations. In addition, the Public Works Department again this year will waive several fees and restrictions regarding yard waste, household debris, tire disposal and appliance pickups.
“The City of Danville is taking significant measures to create a more visually appealing community while conveying to its residents, leaders, businesses and civic groups that we all have a vested interest in protecting and preserving the beauty and cleanliness of our city,” Gilstrap stated in proclaiming May as “Make Danville Shine Month.”
The kickoff event for this year’s campaign will be the annual “Make Danville Shine Home Expo,” which will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 6, at the Community Market on Craghead Street.
Vendors in the fields of landscaping, painting, roofing, siding, masonry, electrical, plumbing and pest control have committed to attend the expo, which again this year is being held in conjunction with the opening of the Farmers Market.
The expo is free and open to the public and will include entertainment activities for children and free hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy. The Police Department in partnership with Commonwealth Document Management Co. will provide free shredding services for personal documents and paperwork.
The cleanup and fix up campaign involves simple steps that every resident 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 if done by the homeowner. Restrictions will remain in place for contractor’s debris.
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.
Ikea again is participating in the campaign. The company will provide debris trailers for neighborhood cleanups. Trailers already are scheduled for use in neighborhoods such as Glenwood, Reservoir Heights, Westmoreland and White Rock.
