Spring cleaning in Central Ballard

Mayor Greg Nickels, city crews and Ballard residents pitched in this morning to give part of Central Ballard a quick spring cleaning.

It’s the 98th event with the mayor’s “Clean and Green Seattle” initiative, which began organizing neighborhood clean-ups in 2002. A group of 40 or so people gathered at Marvin’s Garden a little after 9 a.m.

“It sounds like it’s one morning, but it’s really a lot more than that,” the mayor said. “There will be follow up on the issues that I know you’ve got here, graffiti and behavior in the parks.” He presented longtime Ballard businessman Art Olsen with a graffiti kit. As a “Red Wagon” volunteer, Olsen will help work with businesses in Central Ballard to help clean up graffiti on private property. The mayor also thanked Mary Hurley, who has worked hard over the last few years to secure neighborhood funds to improve Ballard sidewalks.

City crews and volunteers fanned out a few blocks around Marvin’s Garden and Bergen Place, picking up trash, weeding and cleaning up graffiti. Here, the mayor helps plant a tree in front of Sonic Boom on Market St. The planter has been without a tree for the last 8 years.

Crews also spread chips, filled a few potholes and collected stray shopping carts. And a Department of Corrections work crew tackled a big homeless problem area, which we’ll explain in a story later today.