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| Eugene Singleton, the new cleaner on Lexington Avenue. |
This month, the Central Avenue Business Improvement District, with the cooperation and support of the Lexington Avenue Work Group, hired a cleaner for the Lexington Avenue corridor, a busy north-south pass-through that's getting increased attention as of late from community organizers and visitors alike.
The CBID has hired Eugene Singleton, a veteran with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affair's Compensated Work Therapy program. Singleton is the seventh veteran the BID has hired since 2010.
"This program is a great example of a successful partnership between the BID, the Lexington Avenue Workgroup, and the VA. The VA does a great job of helping us find qualified, hard working individuals who are looking for another opportunity to serve their community, and we put them in positions like this, where they can do so much good for the neighborhood," says Anthony Capece, Executive Director for the Central Avenue Business Improvement District. "Eugene is right out Lexington Avenue every day, keeping the street clean and tidy, and showing that we all care very much about the future of this neighborhood."
The new cleaning program wouldn't be possible without the support of the Lexington Avenue Work Group, a consortium of community organizations and neighbors working together to improve this busy street, which stretches from Western Avenue to Clinton Avenue. The group includes the Historic Albany Foundation, the Albany Housing Authority, Albany Community Action Partnership, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of New York, and Trinity Alliance, all of whom have made significant investments in the neighborhood.
"We are only as good as our partners and working with the Central Avenue BID and others in the Lexington Avenue Workgroup to improve the quality of life in this part of West Hill through a steady stream of short-term realizable initiatives such as this cleanup has been both effective and gratifying," says Darren Scott, Director of Planning and Development for the Albany Housing Authority and member of the Lexington Avenue Workgroup.
The cleaning program was launched October 29. This follows the successful pilot program that ran during the month of August with an employee from the City of Albany's employment program. During the two weeks that it ran, there was a great deal of positive feedback about what a difference it was making on the street, with neighbors and local businesses expressing appreciation for the amount of work that was being accomplished each day.
Singleton will sweep up trash from the sidewalks, and entryways of businesses. He will also remove garbage from the stormwater drains and sweep up garbage from the tree wells, including a number that were planted earlier this year by DGS with new saplings.
"The neighborhoods to the north of Central Avenue are really making great strides, and we want to support that effort in any way that we can. Our property owners and businesses really believe 'A rising tide lifts all boats,'" says Capece. "It makes a difference to our neighbors, so it makes a difference to us, and helping find work for a veteran just makes this whole thing even more important."
