Keeping the City Beautiful

[custosnox]

Just a random thought, I try to take my kids with me when I can to do volunteer stuff like this because I think it teaches them to care more about their community.  If you could figure out a way to get the kids more involved it could be a really great thing.  Maybe Michaels better half can help in this.

[heironymouspasparagus]

From lots of past experience, I can strongly recommend you start out small and see how it goes.  Accumulate as you go. 

Have seen this cycle of startup, enthusiasm, growth, and crash many times in the last 40 years. 

Pace yourself. 

Tell friends and neighbors. 

Inspire by example to build a strong core group.

Avoid biting off too big a chunk at a time.  Think about what YOU can reasonably expect to do over and over all summer, and next year, and the next year.  How do you like mowing your own lawn?  Do you complain about that to the wife?  Begrudge the time, money, gas, equipment??

That's why I said to go find a little place where there will be a visible difference and start caring for it.  Preferably close to your house.  With parking.  Example - one of possibly millions - on 91st where 169 crosses, there is a little access point to the bike path system.  There is a strip of grass a couple dozen feet wide, the length of the path from 91st on.  There is parking right there.  Could mow and pick up trash starting at 91st, going south for as long as you could stand - even to Riverside.  Start with 200 feet length.  Or 100.  That will keep you busy, guaranteed.

And it should be easy to find many of those kind of places around Tulsa and Broken Arrow.

Tulsa - pick a piece of Riverside that is not well kept.  Seems like there are a few places on east side near intersections that aren't owned by houses, but not really attended to by city.  Pick one.
Just some random thoughts.

[custosnox]

My youngest is in the Young Marines, and I just found out that they will be doing a "Trash Bash" next weekend on Elm in B.A.  So contacting other groups like this might be an idea as well to get people, especially our children, involved.

[Gaspar]

You know the city could always use a PGR (plant growth regulator) like other cities, golf courses and parks.  Chlorsulfuron, Metsulfuron, or Mefluidide will slow the growth of bermuda and fescue, as well as a host of other grassy plants.  They are not expensive (when compared to mowing) and would reduce labor significantly.  They also make the grass look better, more dense and even.

There was one I used to use on shrubs that made them really dense and trim-free for the whole summer, I think it was called Benin, great stuff. 

[Townsend]

Tulsa inmates helping with mowing among first city-county issues

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100409_11_0_Oeohis289061

[Conan71]

You know the city could always use a PGR (plant growth regulator) like other cities, golf courses and parks.  Chlorsulfuron, Metsulfuron, or Mefluidide will slow the growth of bermuda and fescue, as well as a host of other grassy plants.  They are not expensive (when compared to mowing) and would reduce labor significantly.  They also make the grass look better, more dense and even.

There was one I used to use on shrubs that made them really dense and trim-free for the whole summer, I think it was called Benin, great stuff. 

Just wait till the tort lawyers get their hands on that, babies are being born bald and naked because of that stuff...

[godboko71]

Maybe we could move away from using grass as ground cover and use ivy's, plantation lily's, wild flowers, wild graces, and/or any other ground coverings that use less maintenance and in allot of cases look more beautiful.

[godboko71]

As for any groups that form to do projects please PM me with dates and info so I can post about it on Tulsa Finds.

PS: Don't forget groups like the boy scouts, big brothers and sisters, church groups, middle schools, high schools, and any other groups that do lots of community work.

[RecycleMichael]

Here is our April Clean up poster...

http://www.metrecycle.com/news/operation-clean-sweep/

[custosnox]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100413_11_0_PJLass339944&rss_lnk=11

Volunteer mowing, graffiti removal encouraged by Tulsa Public Works

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 4/13/2010  10:20 AM
Last Modified: 4/13/2010  12:14 PM

City councilors were told Tuesday that the Public Works Department encourages individuals and groups to help in graffiti removal and mowing.

City Councilor Chris Trail initiated the discussion during a council committee meeting. Trail said he's received correspondence from some neighborhood associations wanting to help clean up areas of the city.

"They're excited and want to know what they can and can't do," he said. The council was told to direct anyone wanting to help to the Mayor's Action Center at 596-2100.

The city will work with interested parties on materials for graffiti removal and mowing sites.

Read more in Wednesday's Tulsa world.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100413_11_0_PJLass339944&rss_lnk=11

[Townsend]

The council was told to direct anyone wanting to help to the Mayor's Action Center at 596-2100.

I would like to know what they think that would accomplish.