The campaign to beautify the city ran in conjunction with similar programs across the country in which more than 2.5 million volunteers nationwide helped give their cities a new shine, said Madalyn Blake, director of community development and housing.
“I am proud to represent a city composed of people who take pride in their neighborhood and who take it upon themselves to make their community an example for all,” she said. “We are committed to a clean and graffiti free city.”
The Committee for a Clean & Beautiful Glendale organized a slew of programs throughout the day, including removing graffiti near the recycling center, picking up trash along Brand Boulevard and planting 28 drought-tolerant trees along Verdugo Road, near Fern Lane.
Organized in partnership with the Glendale Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Glendale Program, the tree-planting program partnered high school students and Boy Scout troop members with city officials as they planted shrubs and oaks native to the state that, eventually, will not require water to grow, officials said.
As officials praised the environmental benefits of the trees, others admired the city’s beautification efforts.
“We are here to make the city nicer-looking, to give Glendale a cleaner image and improve its air quality,” said Dan Salvo, 12, one of three members of Boy Scout Troop #316, from Santa Clarita.
Other programs throughout the city included trash and brush clearing at empty lots that have been an eyesore to residents and a thorn in the side of city officials.
One of those sites was on the 600 block of Pioneer Drive, feet from the Ventura (134) Freeway, where about 10 volunteers raked bottles, cans and weeds into large trash bags.
