The Consultant

 Visit #1549, Sunday 31 August 25, 7:40-8:55AM, 2.1 miles, 7.7 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 50s, sunny and dry.

Look above and you'll see I only spent an hour in Hubbard Park this week. I had to budget my energy as you'll see I was called to duty for a special project.

With so little time available Sunday morning, I didn't venture onto the trails but stuck to the park proper, picking up litter as I wandered. As seen in the above photo, part of my travels took me to the new walkbridge.

Some environmentally conscious litterer did not want their discarded cup to follow the wind, so they stuck a piece of gravel in it. How thoughtful of them!

Wandering around the east side of the pool, I found this painted tree. Hubbard Park Drive is in the background.

I cleaned up the area inside and immediately outside of the playscape. I found a pair of kid's sneakers. The soles were practically brand new.

That's all the time I had. I was on to my consultant job.

It may or may not surprise you to learn I'm not the only person picking up litter in Meriden.

I had been contacted twice previously by Susan S., a 70+ year old west side dweller, for assistance. On her regular walks near Lincoln Middle School, Platt and Wilcox High Schools, and down toward Red Bridge and the linear trail, she can regularly be seen collecting litter. Her calls are more like sincere pleas for help as it truly pains her to see trash. How could anybody refuse her request?

But this request was not to clean up a trail, but actual roadside litter near the intersection of River Road and Oregon Road, just beyond Red Bridge. It could be a little dicey because of the sharp bends in the road, so I equipped both of us with safety vests.

We collected ten pounds of litter in forty-five minutes. Thank Susan, not me; she was the brainchild behind this little project. A nice way to celebrate this Labor Day.