BIDDEFORD — Sam Moss looked at the soggy piece of litter and frowned.
It was damp, it was cloth and that’s all he wanted to know about it.
“Let’s just cover that up,” he said, and raked it under a steadily growing pile of dead shrubbery and debris.
Moss, a student at the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, was one of several students with rakes at Mechanics Park in Biddeford Saturday, and the goal was a simple one: Make the park a little greener, a little cleaner, a little nicer. And as long as the sun is shining, they’ll be doing it every week.
Just up the hill, near the Main Street bridge spanning the Saco River, Lester Darigan, one of a handful representing Biddeford’s chapter of the Knights of Columbus, was tidying up a section of the park closer to the street. Equipped with a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, Darigan managed to avoid making it look like work. Rake in hand, he had a smile on his face.
“And why not?” asked Holly Culloton, president of the board of Heart of Biddeford. “It’s a beautiful day.”
It was, in fact, the Heart of Biddeford that initiated the volunteer cleanup effort. As part of its broader Adopt-A-Park program, the community organization has been securing groups to help steward the city’s 11 public parks; UNE and the Knights share responsibility for Mechanics Park, with each group focusing on a specific section.
“They’re doing a beautiful job,” said Culloton.
Maia Martinez-Heath, current president of UNE’s Sigma Sigma Phi, which represents the College of Osteopathic Medicine, has been involved in park cleanup efforts since last autumn. With the days getting warmer, she’s been busy recruiting volunteers to shore up the college’s numbers.
“We wanted to be a little more present in the community than we had been,” said Martinez-Heath. “And I wanted to make sure everybody had a chance to participate.”
Inspired to volunteer after seeing an advertisement run by the Heart of Biddeford, Martinez-Heath leapt at the chance to organize a group. The UNE contingent oversaw their corner of Mechanics Park for about seven weeks in October and November before winds and weather became prohibitively cold; Saturday, the group ”“ with a few more students in tow ”“ picked up where they left off.
Martinez-Heath said that, aside from helping to beautify a public space, the activity also lets students spend some quality time outside, which is not always an easy feat when hitting the books.
“It gets us outdoors, and lets us soak in some quality Vitamin D,” she said. “It also just brings everybody closer together.”
As for the Knights of Columbus, member Bob Fournier said the Adopt-A-Park program fits in nicely with his group’s mission.
“We’re an organization that helps the community,” he said. “I just want to put back into the community what I get out of it.”
While fellow Knight Mike Bolduc was unable to be at Mechanics Park on Saturday morning, Fournier gives him credit for allowing the council to work so effectively with the Heart of Biddeford ”“ which is always open to more volunteers, said Culloton.
Those who may wish to do so may contact Culloton through the organization’s website, www.heartofbiddeford.org.
“If it weren’t for these efforts, our parks wouldn’t look as good as they do,” she said.
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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