Dozens of organizations joined Keep Tallahassee-Leon County Beautiful and A Knight Creative Communities Institute’s Southside Sense of Place Project to participate in the 16th Annual Super-Clean Sweep.
Beautifying South Monroe and South Adams area is an initiative of SSPP. Saturday morning volunteers worked to pick up trash starting at the railroad crossing to Magnolia Avenue.
Headquarters were set up at Buddy’s Marina, 1215 S. Monroe Street, where drivers could stop and see citizens working to collect bags of trash.
Business owner and volunteer of the project Enrika Sissle helped students, organizations, and citizens’ sign up for the Super-Clean Sweep.
“This project gives an identity to the south side. The area has a lot of abandoned buildings and we want to create a place where people can drive into a safe and attractive area,” Sissle said. “This event allows us to work alongside citizens and area business-owners for a collaborative effort.”
One of FAMU’s organizations Sistuhs, Inc. participated in cleaning FAMU way. Members of the organization said they adopted the street and continue to keep the area clean.
“We’re a community service organization and it’s one of our initiatives to keep this street tidy whenever we see it needs to be cleaned,” said Angenike Lattery, 20, a junior pharmacy student form Tallahassee, Fla.
The SSPP does not stop at cleaning up the area. The project plans to form an identity, enhance the look and feel of the community.
“If it’s a success hopefully the initiatives will move to other areas,” Sissle said.
Sissle said other plans are to “Connect area businesses, residents and community leaders in the place making process, and build a coalition of support for future positive community enrichment.”
The team wants to provide economic benefits to Tallahassee by attracting and retaining businesses, which will benefit the state of Florida as a whole by creating jobs and transforming the state capital into an economic powerhouse.
According to the KCCI website, the mission is to “Complete a corridor study with Florida A & M landscape architecture Students.”
Florida State University Department of Urban and Regional are also planning to enhance pedestrian and travelers needs, and other visual elements to help define South Adams Street.
Later this year KCCI will host a Community Speak Up and Community Clean up Day to inform local residents and business owners on South Monroe Street about community involvement.