City of Farmington seeks volunteers for park cleanup

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This is a busy time of the year for Farmington natural resources specialist Jen Dullum.

Dullum has a lot of projects in the planning stages right now. Over the course of two days, Dullum has three separate and fairly large projects to plan.

She’s heading up the city’s annual Arbor Day celebration April 27. Students from Akin Road Elementary School will plant trees at Fairhills Park. They also receive seedlings to bring home. The ceremonial tree and seedlings are donated by Dakota Electric Association.

The next day is Farmington’s pond and park cleanup event, which is followed by the community’s Earth and Arbor Day celebration. Dullum is currently taking names of volunteers and organizations who want to help with the cleanup.

Right now, she’s got between 300 and 400 residents signed up to help with the pond and parks cleanup, but she’s looking for more.

“Last year we had about 500,” she said. “We like to involve residents in their community, and we very much appreciate their help. It would not get done as quickly or as well if we didn’t have volunteers assisting us in picking up all the trash and debris that happens every year.

“I think people like to take pride in their community. Making their ponds and parks clean and healthy gives them a sense of ownership,” Dullum added.

Anyone who is interested in participating in the cleanup event should to contact Dullum by Friday, April 20 to register. The cleanup will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. April 28.

Anyone who participates is welcome to come to Rambling River Center after the cleanup to enjoy a pizza lunch. And while they’re at the senior center, the Earth and Arbor Day event will be going on, too, so they can take in the activities going on there. The Earth and Arbor Day event is open to the public, but the pizza meal will be restricted to those who participated in the cleanup.

Anyone interested in participating in the pond and park cleanup can call Dullum at 651-280-6845 email, jdullum@ci. farmington.mn.us. Information is also available on the city’s website, www.ci.farmington.mn.us.

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