BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | Craig Scott and his daughters Aneisha, 16, (left) and Shayla, 12, of Riverhead worked on cleaning up an empty wooded lot on the western end of Lincoln Avenue Saturday morning.
After starting the ‘Anti-Litter Committee’ in 2004, former town councilman George Bartunek is ready to hang it up.
“This is the end,” Mr. Bartunek said Saturday morning at the start of the ninth annual townwide litter cleanup. “I hope someone else takes it over.”
Around 15 volunteers showed up at Town Hall to pick up safety vests, trash bags, gloves and ‘Nifty Nabbers’ to help pick up the garbage. Mr. Bartunek scoped out streets and lots around town ahead of time to find which areas were in dire need of litter removal.
“You like to think we all made a difference,” Mr. Bartunek said.
He said 75 ‘Keep Riverhead Clean’ signs have been installed around town, although people don’t always seem to notice.
Streets cleaned Saturday were Lincoln Street, the intersection of Raynor and Osborn, the northern part of Osborn Avenue, Hubbard Avenue and Edwards Avenue in Calverton.
Carl ‘Slim’ Schlender and his wife Karen of Riverhead donned their orange vests as he sang the song ‘Tomorrow’ from ‘Annie’ changing the lyrics to “Oh my the sun’s coming out it will make the cleanup so much better.”