Syracuse Adopt-a-Block Program Kicks Off Beautification Push Across the City at Loguen Park

City of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh today joined Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II and participants of the Adopt-a-Block program during its annual event commencing citywide year-long litter clean-ups at Loguen Park on the city’s Eastside. More than 120 teams from different organizations, businesses and neighborhoods have signed up to clean blocks they have adopted despite the inability to organize under normal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s partner organizations with a similar mission to keep Syracuse clean include: Hire Ground, Onondaga County Save the Rain, OCRRA (Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency), and Onondaga Earth Corps.

“Many individuals and teams have made a commitment to making our city better by picking up litter, in partnership with our Adopt-a-Block program, and I cannot thank them enough,” said Mayor Walsh. “The kickoff event is one of the many ways people across the city are helping to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”

The coordinated efforts to beautify the city one block at a time have been spearheaded by Constituent Services out of the Office of the Mayor, in collaboration with the Onondaga County Save the Rain Connect the Drops program. This year, in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order, volunteers will be required to take additional precautions to further prevent any potential infection transmissions. Beyond the kickoff event, masks and social distancing will be incorporated into all future group clean-ups, in addition to the limitations on the number of people allowed to congregate within proximity to one another.  

“As we enter into a new season working with members from the community who take on the responsibility of keeping streets, lots, and other spaces in Syracuse clean, we have a goal to make sure as many blocks as possible are adopted,” said Maria Maldonado-Lewis, constituent services advocate.

A visual map of streets adopted can be viewed online. New teams looking to adopt unclaimed blocks can sign-up by contacting Maldonado-Lewis at mlewis[at]syrgov.net, registering using the electronic form, or by joining the Facebook group.

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