By EJ Conzola II

Several Whitehall organizations that work for the betterment of the community are hoping volunteers will join them April 20 for a planned villagewide clean-up.

The Chamber of Commerce, American Legion Post 83 and Elks Lodge 1491 are banding together to sponsor the clean-up, which they hope will address one of the main issues that keeps the village from thriving, said new chamber President Cheryl Putorti.

Representatives of the Glens Falls Hospital Health Promotion Center, which has provided several grants for projects aimed at improving the village, will also be in attendance, Putorti said.

The appearance of the village is a frequent source of complaints at Village Board meetings, with residents decrying trash-strewn streets and lawns of rental properties that they say is not only an eyesore but a potential  health hazard. The less-than-attractive appearance of the community also discourages new residents or businesses that might want to relocate to Whitehall, they say.

Village officials are hoping newly appointed enforcement officer Frank Betit can make some headway, but Putorti said sprucing up the village should be everyone’s concern.

“We need people to get involved in the community and help us make it better,” she said.

The clean-up, which Putorti hopes will be the first of several such events, will be centered around the main village commercial areas on Broadway, Main and Poultney streets. If enough people turn out, the effort will be expanded into other, more residential areas of the village, she said.

Organizers plan to meet in Riverside Park on Skenesborough Drive, with the clean-up getting underway at 10 a.m. Village Public Works working foreman Steve Brock has agreed to provide two trucks – one for branches, leaves and other forms of yard waste, the other for trash – to haul away the collected detritus, she said.

Volunteers are welcome to participate for the entire four hours or for any amount of time they can donate, Putorti said.

“If you can’t come, just clean up your lawn or neighborhood,” she added.

The American Legion will be providing a free lunch for those who participate, she said.

Similar clean-ups have been held sporadically in the past, but Putorti said she hopes the involvement of the community groups will help make them a regular – and more frequent – event.

“If people don’t get involved in the community, it just won’t get any better,” she said.