Mike Cass, who works for the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services, kindly allowed me to tag along with him during Saturday’s Keep Springfield Beautiful citywide cleanup. I showed up per his instructions at the cold and foggy Duggan Middle School parking lot in Sixteen Acres, near where Cass lives, at 7:30 that morning to find a few dumpsters waiting alongside trucks and a handful of folks.
For over an hour, I got to watch Cass (pictured below), who organized and oversaw the day’s cleanup details, operate his off-site "war room" using the hood of his Jeep as his desk. (In planning a strategy for the day, Cass told me that he really did have what he called a "war room.")
Volunteer Bob Powell sorts through KSB shirts dropped off at the Duggan lot
Gradually, supplies began to arrive, such as coffee and donuts courtesy of Dunkin’ Donuts, shirts for volunteers, and work gloves. At about 8:15, KSB President Charles Contant arrived with tables and chairs, which he had yet to deliver to all the other staging areas as well. He came and went quickly. Prior to his arrival, School Committeewoman Antonette Pepe offered the use of her hatchback for the issuance of refreshments, acknowledging the importance of coffee to start the day.
Before 8:00 or so, Cass had already called 911 to report difficulties at a cleanup site in East Springfield known as Mallory Village. It was one of the worst dumping sites Cass had targeted for special crews, a collection of places he referred to as "the dirty dozen." Apparently, early in the morning, residents at Mallory Village realized there were dumpsters available for taking out the trash, and so they wanted to bring out garbage from their homes—and there was a lot of it. This caused some city workers on-site to worry about the consequences of turning them away. Cass received a call from city forester Ed Casey, reporting the problem, and did not hesitate to contact police.
A small sampling of refuse brought out by residents at East Springfield’s Mallory Village
As it happened, there was no need for alarm, as peace was maintained and garbage flowed relatively calmly into the increasing amount of dumpsters required to collect everything at Mallory Village. One city employee was stationed near the dumpster we visited to monitor trash collection traffic there, and to wait for a truck that would haul it away, once full. More were coming—at least four were needed, and this was before 9:30 am.
Residents toss household trash into dumpsters intended for cleaning public space
One resident brought out old holiday decorations that won’t fit into a regular trash bin
By the time we visited, the place was a beehive of activity, with many residents rushing around, hauling out large items from their home, taking advantage of what looked to be the only opportunity they had to remove garbage and bulk junk from their storage spaces. So much was brought out that KSB organizers were faced with a tough dilemma: let them add their junk to the dumpsters, or have them pile it up on the curb, only to allow it to become more problematic.
The decision was unpleasant but also offered a learning experience; these residents appeared not to know how to handle trash on an ongoing basis, given the sheer amount being purged Saturday. KSB senior project manager Ivette Cruz later told me that some follow-up work will take place for this city neighborhood to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and to try to find solutions for the residents.
As Cass put it, "We turned lemons into lemonade." Residents bringing out their trash were not turned away, but they were encouraged to sign up and be counted as volunteers toward the day’s total.
Meanwhile, city crews toiled away in Mallory Village at the corner of Farragut and Cameron Streets, where many bulk items had been dumped. We passed through just as a large couch was dropped on top of the heaping mass.
City crews pile unwanted material into a dumpster at Farragut and Cameron Streets
Listen to a podcast documenting a portion of this first part of the day, in which Cass explains a little bit about his job, handles phone call crises, and darts around to various parts of the city with enthusiasm and humor. More photos from the day are available here.
