Bedford Residents Come Together to Clean Up Common Space

About 75 residents from the Greenfield Farms housing development in Bedford came together on April 18, for the ninth time, to pick up trash and spruce up common areas and recreational space in and around the development.

The volunteers, who were spread about the complex cleaning up, collected bags and bags of trash – both normal and unusual items. The complex is about 200 acres and features numerous housing units, a large soccer field, and about 50 acres of recreational space. The volunteers spend about two hours cleaning up the area.

For the first time, according to Andrea Chatfield and Kimberly Buckner, two of the volunteers, neighboring housing developments also joined in the cleanup effort. Chatfield said the residents received about $400 in business donations for prizes including most unusual item found.

“We got a muffler there,” she said. “An e-cigarette, shorts and underwear.”

“Lots of liquor bottles,” Buckner added.

They also received in-kind donations from a power wash company that has agreed to clean fences in the common areas and a recycling firm that shredded items.

Normally, there is a recycling bin on the soccer field, but the rain guard on the bin broke and is being repaired. During the busy season though, it has to be emptied every week by volunteers.

Employees from Energy North brought grills to the soccer field and prepared food for the volunteers. Outdoor Pride, the landscaping company for the association, also brought by a Segway for the kids to try out and gave away free Fisher Cat tickets.

“We usually get about a 100 bags of trash,” Hatfield said. “We’re really thrilled. This is a great turnout. It’s one of our best years.”

Both Buckner and Hatfield said that the cleanup effort not only makes the area look good but it gets the community involved in being – and working – together. It also gets young people to understand the importance of keeping the areas that they live in clean and presentable.