Friday, May 23, 2025
Residents joined members of the Lakeview Civic Association at the Lakeview train station last Saturday for a spring cleanup. More than 50 people showed up to help beautify the community.
“This is an event that we look forward to twice a year to make sure that residents understand what it takes to keep a community beautiful — making sure they have an opportunity to reinvest in their community, take pride in their community,” Lisa Ortiz, co-founder of the civic association, said. “The hope is that this will prevent littering, and make sure the children have an opportunity to engage in what’s happening, and how community works.”
The semi-annual cleanups are widely supported by Lakeview residents. Nassau County Legislator William Gaylor and Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Laura Ryder sponsor the event by helping provide equipment for the participants. The town’s Sanitation District 6 and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police show their support as well, helping with litter collection and keeping volunteers safe. The NAACP of Lakeview and St. Paul’s AME church are also involved as well, and the Center for Science Teaching & Learning, in Rockville Centre, donates the flowers to beautify the train station.
“I come out every year,” Gaylor said. “It’s a great opportunity to interact with the community and do good. It shows that we live and work in a great place, and we want to just keep it clean and get the community involved.”
“This is a reinvestment in the community you live in,” Ortiz said. “When you have an opportunity to clean up your community, you’re going to think twice about littering. And it also shows other residents that there’s investment happening in our community, and it maintains the aesthetic appeal of our community.”
“I’m all about people showing interest in their communities and wanting to do better for it, to see it clean, Assemblyman Noah Burroughs said, adding that he was excited to see local youth, including the Malverne/East Rockaway JV lacrosse team, take part in the cleanup. “It shows you care. It gives the younger people a chance to see that all of us want to be involved, and that showing care for your community is very important. It’s how you do better.”
The garbage collected during the cleanup was carted away by Sanitation District 6, which community can contact, along with the Town of Hempstead, if they notice excess garbage or litter that needs to be cleaned up. For other issues, Ortiz urged residents to contact the town’s Quality of Life Task Force.
“The Quality of Life team focuses on addressing concerns in communities that are typically underserved,” she said. “When we call with an issue, whether it’s a light fixture that’s gone, a light bulb that has blown out or there’s a lot of debris in the street, they come and they clean it up.” She credits the task force with eliminating the long waits people have had when reporting an issue to the Town of Hempstead, because the task force responds in 24 to 48 hours.
“This event was a huge success,” said Lataya Carter, founder of Believe at Bellaire, Inc., a nonprofit that hosts community events. “There are tons of people out here helping to keep Lakeview clean.” Carter works with the Nassau County Office of Youth Services to host weekly cleanups involving young people. “The youth is coming out for a cleanup, and we’re targeting different parts of Lakeview and Nassau County,” she said. Volunteers must be ages 14 to 16, and can email marilyn.torres@hhsnassaucountyny.us for more details.
