Dear Editor:

Springtime in St. John the Baptist Parish means crawfish boils, softball games and the start of landscaping and grass cutting season.

Unfortunately, Spring is also the beginning of the worst season for litter in our neighborhoods and on our roadways and waterways.

Keeping St. John litter-free is important to our quality of life and is the responsibility of children and adults. Cleaner neighborhoods are healthier neighborhoods for the entire community.

Companies and businesses look to invest in areas that are appealing to their customers and provide the potential for growth.

We are working to make St. John Parish an ideal location for both.

This year, Keep St. John Beautiful is in its 15th year of working to keep our community beautiful, and we are asking everyone to participate in this effort. Please join us on April 11 from 8:30 — 11:30 a.m. at the Thomas F. Daley Memorial Park (Hwy 51 Park), as we work together to clean our community.

Nearly 1 million pounds of trash was collected and 2,000 miles of roadways cleaned during community events across Louisiana as part of the three-month Great American Cleanup.

St. John the Baptist Parish proclaims April as Keep St. John Beautiful Month and hosts an annual Spring Clean Sweep.

Maintaining a litter-free environment is a measure of our community’s pride, persistence and perseverance following one of the largest disasters in the parish’s history. Please make a commitment to keeping our parish litter-free by pitching in every day and working with us to end America’s litter problem.

Thanking you in advance for joining us in our efforts to Keep St. John Beautiful.

Dana Milioto, Keep St. John Beautiful Committee Co-Chair, St. John the Baptist Parish