From April 11 through April 15, 2011, a multi-departmental neighborhood cleanup occurred. This was in conjunction with the 26th Annual Project NICE and the 19th Annual Project KEEP. For those people who are new to these projects, NICE (Neighborhood Improvement/Complaint Easement) assists neighborhoods with environmental issues such as garbage, rubbish, inoperable vehicles, dilapidated buildings, and zoning problems
The 2011 Project N.I.C.E. included two adjacent areas. Area A was contained within the boundaries of South Minnesota Avenue on the west, South First Avenue on the east, East 13th Street on the north, and East 18th Street on the south; and the area within the boundaries of South First Avenue on the west, the Big Sioux River on the east, the Big Sioux River on the north, and East 18th Street on the south. Area B was contained within the boundaries of North Lewis Avenue on the west, I-229 on the east, East Rice Street on the north, and East 10th Street on the south.
The 2011 Project K.E.E.P. area was an area contained within the boundaries of South West Avenue on the west, South Minnesota Avenue on the east, West 9th Street on the north, and West 18th Street on the south.
Volunteers from various City departments worked together to accomplish this project. Residents in the designated areas of town placed rubbish and waste material at the curb. The men and women who assisted in this effort placed the rubbish and waste material in front-end loader buckets provided by the City. The rubbish and waste material was then loaded on to City trucks and disposed of in the City Landfill or properly recycled.
Three ground crews removed 444 loads (466.77 tons) of rubble, 4 loads (7.63 tons) of tires and 3 loads (4.08 tons) of appliances for a total of 451 truckloads (478.48 tons) of waste removed from the two neighborhoods. The clean up portion of the project was completed at mid-day Friday April 16, 2011. Enthusiastic support and participation in the program by the residents of the two neighborhoods and the volunteers contributed to the great success of the project..
The corrective action portion of the projects began after the clean up was completed. The neighborhoods were surveyed and any remaining violations of City ordinance were addressed. The Project NICE/KEEP City assisted clean up and the follow up corrective action portions of the projects have proven to be very beneficial for the City of Sioux Falls. The impact it has had in helping maintain and improve environmental conditions in many Sioux Falls neighborhoods are significant.
This project is one of the things that keeps Sioux Falls one of the best places to live in the United States
