Officials Hosting South Orange Avenue Cleanup Saturday

Essex County Freeholder Rufus Johnson of Newark and the West Ward Economic Development Corporation encourage residents of the city’s West Ward to take part Saturday morning, April 13 for a clean-up of South Orange Avenue.  The project will bring friends, neighbors, business owners and other volunteers together in a concerted effort to beautify a 3-mile stretch of the community’s primary commercial corridor by removing garbage, trash and other debris from the sidewalks and curbs from Bergen Street all the way to the South Orange border (Montrose Street).

The community-organized event, entitled “WestScape: South Orange Avenue”, is an initiative of the non-profit West Ward Economic Development Corporation, which was founded by West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice, and where Freeholder Johnson serves as an advisor.

The event begins 11 am with a press conference at Speedway Avenue Elementary School (701 South Orange Ave.), which will include remarks by Johnson, West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice, founder of the West Ward Economic Development Corporation, and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr.  Following the press conference, four teams of volunteers will be transported to various starting positions along South Orange Avenue where they will gather the trash into garbage bags provided by the County that will later be collected by the Essex County Department of Public Works.  The event is scheduled to conclude at 3 pm.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for the event or learn more about it should call Councilman Rice’s office at 973-733-6427 or inquire via email to westwardedc@gmail.com.