DeKalb launches effort to clean streets and drains
An effort to fight blight in DeKalb County will begin Saturday with the launch of “Operation Clean Sweep,” a program designed to improve cleanliness along streets.
The $2.6 million initiative, a priority of DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond, will focus on removing trash from storm drains, roads, sidewalks and rights-of-way.
The clean-up will start at Wade Walker Park near Stone Mountain on March 11 at 8 a.m.
“Anyone who lives, works or who visits here should be able to walk and drive along the streets of DeKalb County free, without encountering excessive litter and debris,” Thurmond said in a statement.
DeKalb’s drains haven’t been cleaned in at least five years, leading to backups that create potholes and cause flooding.
The $2.6 million in funding for the program, approved by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners last week, will pay for four street sweepers, a truck, a trailer, a loader, other equipment and overtime costs.
Operation Clean Sweep will continue throughout the year. It will also target illegal dumping and dirty MARTA bus stops.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
