Beautification Committee community cleanup was a success

IRON RIVER — The Iron River Beautification Committee organized a community cleanup on Friday, May 20. The event was an overwhelming success! 
    Over 30 volunteers braved the intermittent rain and gathered nearly 1,100 pounds of litter along the roadways and sidewalks in Iron River. 
    Several non-profit organizations were involved as well as multiple individuals who just wanted to see the town cleaned up. 
“We expected a handful of people and a few bags of garbage,” said Committee Organizer Rick Kinsey. “We were so excited to see the positivity of the volunteers that showed up despite rain and thunder! The momentum we gained just from seeing the excitement and involvement of people that just showed up to help was incredible.” 
The Beautification Committee was first organized early this year and works under the guidance of the City of Iron River Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and exists to beautify the downtown Iron River by means of litter clean up, berm maintenance, and soon the well-loved hanging flower baskets will don Genesee Street once again. 
“The city saw some hard times during COVID. It was time to encourage more positivity, optimism, and hometown pride in the community and this was a great first step!” said city manager Rachel Andreski. 
The Iron River Beautification Committee encourages anyone interested in beautification projects or who has ideas to share to attend a meeting which is held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. at the West Iron District Library conference room. 
The City of Iron River, DDA, and the Beautification Committee thanks all the volunteers who helped collect litter. Because of you, half a ton of litter has been cleaned off our streets and sidewalks!