The Beverly Kingsley Manor Neighborhood is organizing a neighborhood cleanup on Monday, January 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in observance of MLK Day and the Presidential Inauguration week, according to neighborhood organizer Mario Ascencio. Residents of Beverly Kingsley Manor, the 21 blocks between Beverly Blvd. and Third Street and Western Avenue and Normandie Avenue, are invited to join in, and there are a variety of ways to participate — residents can either join a cleanup team or be a 311 app user and report items to the City for pick up. And if you want to stay home and inside , you can still participate by rolling your black trash bin to the curb from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. to hold the trash that’s being picked up. Residents who want to help can click here to sign up.
Monday’s cleanup was accepted as an official event of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, which is encouraging Americans to mobilize in acts of community service during the inauguration week. The cleanup follows strict COVID-19 protocols outlined by the committee.
Ascencio, the Library Director at Art Center College of Design and a resident of Harvard Avenue, provided the following details about the cleanup to the Buzz:
- There will be two meet-up locations for volunteers: 1st and Harvard, and 2nd and Harvard.
- All neighbors are asked to please put out their black trash bins in order to facilitate the trash pick-up.
- We need as many volunteers as possible to help clean up the streets.
- Masks and gloves required.
- Bright clothing required.
- Picking up trash with a gripper or tool is recommended.
- Use hand-sanitizer as needed.
- Anyone feeling sick should not participate.
The idea for the cleanup came from resident and local organizer Tom Ensminger, a construction project manager who told the Buzz it was time to reprise neighborhood’s June 2018 cleanup, during which residents removed trash from the parkways and planted landscaping to discourage homeless encampments.
“The cleanup will start on Harvard Blvd., but then we will fan out to streets that need attention,” explained Ensminger.
Ensminger, Ascencio and neighbor Lynn LeGlaire began their efforts to officially form a neighborhood association several years ago by talking to the neighborhood’s Senior Lead Officer about organizing a neighborhood crime watch.
“We are currently using the name Beverly Kingsley Manor because that’s the name I heard years ago,” explained LeGlaire, a local realtor. “We want to get everyone together to focus on safety and security as well as preserving our neighborhood. It’s a really great neighborhood and we think the best way to do that  is for everyone get to know each other to work together.”
Residents who are interested in learning more about the neighborhood association and the issues they are working on including crime, police, sanitation, environment, traffic and parking, as well as other issues that contribute to the quality of life of the community, can subscribe to their online discussion forum or email Ascencio at [email protected] for more information.
