Pottstown Borough-wide Cleanup: Gutters & Grates (GAGA Day)

Pottstown Borough-wide Cleanup: Gutters & Grates (GAGA Day)

Staging Location:
Hobart’s Run Office
856-A East High Street
(look for Hobart’s Run table & sign)

Cleanup Area(s):
Gutters and grates throughout the Borough of Pottstown.

On Saturday, April 26, residents from throughout the Borough are encouraged to participate in what Hobart’s Run has dubbed Gutter And Grate Adoption Day (GAGA Day). Top contributors to this effort will win local restaurant gift cards, courtesy of Hobart’s Run. Why is Hobart’s Run “gaga” about clean gutters and grates? Here are facts gleaned from the Borough of Pottstown website and other sources:
– The accumulation of litter and debris in gutters and grates is unsightly and unsanitary.
– Storm grates/drains help prevent road flooding – but only if they are clear.
– When polluted stormwater from street trash flows into our waterways through the grates, it harms the quality of water used for drinking, washing, recreation, and fishing and can increase water treatment costs.
– Debris that makes it into waterways – including cigarette butts and plastic bags, bottles, and six-pack rings – damages or kills aquatic life, from fish to birds.

Here are the “dirty” details for this volunteer effort:
– Residents who want to participate in GAGA Day can pick up bags, safety vests, and gloves and borrow rakes and shovels at the Hobart’s Run office, 856 East High Street, the week prior to April 26 or the morning of the cleanup. Please call ahead at (610) 705 – 1018 or email contact@hobartsrunpottstown.org to make sure we are ready for you.
– On GAGA Day, Saturday, April 26, set out into your neighborhood to find gutters and storm grates that need some love in the form of debris and litter removal. Take “before” pictures of the gutters and storm grates!
– Go “gaga” by raking and bagging all debris and trash and place your bag at the corner of each street you’ve cleaned. Proudly take “after” photos and, in the photo, clearly show the street sign at the corner of the block where you targeted the gutter so Hobart’s Run and the Borough know where you have worked and where to pick up bags, then submit via email the before and photos with the subject line “GAGA Day.” You can return the items borrowed after you finish with your cleanup or during the week after.
– The individual, family, or small group that submits the greatest number of before and after photos will win a $100 gift card to Little Italy / The Pourhouse. (The more members you have in your team, the more you can clean up – so line up your teammates!) The second place team will receive a $75 gift card; third place will receive a $50 thank you card.