DiMeglio Septic , Inc .
Volunteers meet for lake park cleanup
by Stephen Pistone
Gazette StaFF Writer
HaMMONtON — More than 130 volunteers took a couple of hours out of their beautiful , sunshine-filled morning to offer a helping hand in the ninth annual Hammonton Lake Park cleanup on February 25 . at 10 a . m ., volunteers filed into the Hammonton Canoe Club to register for the cleanup . they then received a fluorescent-yellow t- shirt from members of atlantic County Utilities authority ( aCUa ), who sponsored the cleanup as part of their atlantic County Clean Communities program ; a grabber , gloves , trash bags along with any other needed supplies and plenty of refreshments before heading out to clean up the
DiMeglio Septic , Inc .
Est . 1975 ~ DEP 03261 ~ Paul DiMeglio 1 ( 800 ) 427-4617 ~ 561-1007 ~ 561-3597
491 S . White Horse Pike • Ancora , NJ
• Grease Trap Cleaning • Portable Toilets
• Septic Certifications • Jetting Service
lake park . also behind the cleanup was Hammonton Organized for a Positive environment ( H . O . P . e .), a coalition comprised of members of the Hammonton Parks and recreation Commission , the Hammonton Green Committee , the Hammonton environmental Commission and the Hammonton Lake Water Quality Committee , all working towards the common goal of protecting and preserving the environment of Hammonton and the valuable resource that is the Hammonton Lake and the Lake Park . aCUa ’ s atlantic County Clean Communities coordinator rebecca turygan commended the town for its multi-dimensional approach to environmentalism through H . O . P . e and said the combined efforts of the volunteers and organizations involved create a heightened sense of awareness throughout the town .
“ We have a few other towns that do something similar [ to H . O . P . e ], but not as many as we would hope . Something like this is so important because it gets awareness throughout the whole town , even for people who weren ’ t here . they see the pictures , they see the result and so , it ’ s really great for community outreach , to bring everyone together ,” turygan said . the Clean Communities program is funded by state grants and uses aCUa ’ s resources to assist
Wednesday , March 1 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
with cleanups like Hammonton ’ s , offering supplies and the disposal of waste once it is collected . turygan said each year , Hammonton ’ s cleanup is the first one aCUa assists with and that it is a positive beginning to the year ’ s Clean Communities program schedule because it usually generates a large turnout and the town does such a good job at keeping the park clean throughout the year that not much more work is needed on the day of the cleanup compared to other municipalities in atlantic County .
“ the thing about Hammonton is that the park is already so clean . the town and the people here do a great job of not littering to begin with , so that makes our job easier , but today is good . We always get a good turnout of families , of school groups , of concerned citizens who come out . We get a really good variety of people that come to this , but the town keeps it clean yearround so it ’ s nice ,” turygan said . environmental Commission chairman Daniel Bachalis has been volunteering for the lake park cleanup since its inception and has noticed a consistent decrease in pollution due to the same heightened sense of awareness turygan noted .
“ every year we ’ ve done this , we ’ ve found less and less of big , weird junk . i don ’ t think we ’ re finding any mattresses anymore , or
One Sindoni Lane , Suite C , Hammonton ( 609 ) 270-7886 • www . meadowsbridalshop . com car bumpers , things like that … as we progressed over the years , the more you get all that stuff out of the way , it leaves you time to get down to a finer level of cleanup . i think that ’ s kind of where the park is at today . i did a little drivethrough on the way in just to see what to expect , and the park is really looking pretty good ... i think there has just been more and more consciousness about how important the lake park is ,” Bachalis said .
Bachalis said the cleanup is H . O . P . e ’ s “ signature event ,” but that the ultimate goal is to bring the lake park to a point where its utilization for recreation can be maximized to the point where people can swim in its water again , which will require more than picking up trash to achieve .
“ i ’ m hoping that if we can complete another year of testing , put all these years of data together and eventually — if we can find a funding source , get the lifeguards we need , get the signage we need and what not — open up the park to at least some limited swimming during the summer . and i think that ’ s where we ’ re headed for the park and the lake : greater utilization for recreation , for families and people in the area ,” Bachalis said .
Longtime lake park cleanup volunteer Paul Pullia said the amount of attention being drawn to the annual cleanup each year will certainly bode well for the lake and park ’ s future .
“ it ’ s not one person that makes a
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