Northfield’s Boy Scout Troop 759 was assigned to Union Brook Road during Green-Up Day last Saturday. The Troop spread out into two groups of four people each and they really cleaned up. According to Don Wallace, the town’s head Co-ordinator for the event , the Boy scouts went over and above their assignment. They brought in two truckloads of “stuff.” All manner of trash and ‘bulky metal objects.’ The group from left: Ethan Hatch, Martika Carleton, George Hatch, and Scoutmaster Herb Carleton. Photo by Bill Croney, The Northfield News Northfield is a little cleaner and al little greener this week thanks to the efforts of over fifty people. Individual residents and groups from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Daisy Scouts, Brownies and The Veterans’ Place all combined to “Green Up” Northfield last Saturday. Volunteers started arriving at the back of the Fire Station where they signed in and were given their clean up assignments by Don Wallace, one of the co-coordinators of the event. Bill Lyon and Karl Bailey, the other co-coordinators were on hand to help things get underway as well. Even the weather was cooperating on Saturday. “It’s a great day for it. Usually it’s cold and wet,” said Bill Lyon.

The goal was to scatter the groups all over town and use the “shotgun” approach to get as much area cleaned up as possible in three to four hours.

The group of four from The Veterans’ Place made up of Al Farr, Al Clark, Clint Thibolean, and Bill Anderson was on hand early and got started right away. That was just the beginning for that group of gentlemen. They were seemingly everywhere. “They picked up all over. They started out at Water Street over to Wall Street. Then they did from North Main Street to Wall Street. They did the railroad tracks through the village and then they did under the bridges. Those guys really worked their tails off. They brought in lots of stuff. The Veterans’ Place has become a credit to the community. It should put to rest the concerns that some had by locating The Veterans’ Place here,” said Don Wallace. “I was really impressed with the guys from The Veterans’ Place,” he added.

Other groups did a great job as well. The Boy Scouts had a group of ten and their assignment was Union Brook road. The Scouts started at “four corners” and worked their way towards town. When they were done they had brought in two big truckloads of “stuff” including lots of “bulky metal objects”. “They brought in something that we think might be a transmission,” said Don Wallace.

Anne Donahue and Brad Denny took in two truckloads from their assignment on Lovers Lane.

The Girl Scouts, Daisy Scouts and Brownies had the assignment of Rt. 12 across from the Grand Union and after that they walked the banks of the Dog River from the footbridge to Wall St. “There was quite a crew out there and they did a great job,” said Mr. Wallace.

Another group of volunteers also got some praise from the cocoordinator. “There were three women from the Falls, Jerri Merolli, Trudy Law and her daughter Tanya who got to clean up the parking lot in back of the Legion and they did a great job. I’ve never seen it so clean,” said Mr. Wallace.

Things seemed to go really well in what has become an annual uphill battle against “litter”. “I think we really made progress on Union Street. We couldn’t get everywhere. We weren’t able to get to Dole Hill, for example,” Mr. Wallace said.

Mr. Wallace also said he wanted to thank his co-coordinators, Bill Lyon and Karl Bailey, for their efforts. “Bill Lyon and I have been doing this for years and Karl Bailey is the next generation. They were invaluable in helping out at the Fire Station collection point; moving trucks around and unloading the pick up trucks that brought stuff in,” he said. “I’m happy with the efforts that everybody made,” Mr. Wallace said. “But, I’m a little sad that there is still more out there and we will keep on having to do this.”