Fall cleanup event set for Saturday

Blytheville City Councilman John Musgraves is reminding everyone about the fall Cleaner, Safer Blytheville cleanup set for Saturday.

Volunteers are asked to meet at Cypress Park at 8 a.m., then disperse.

Volunteers will be focusing on cleaning areas between Leslie and 21st streets and Carolyn and Rose streets. Recently, Blytheville First Assembly pastor Paul Strong, who has spearheaded the event since its inception, said this cleanup will be a little different than past events.

"We're not having to go in and clean up everything," Strong said, "The truth is the people living in these areas are doing their part -- they're cleaning their yards. It's really just the abandoned and burnt-out buildings that we're going to have to account for."

The cleanup is also looking for ways to get rid of old, abandoned buildings that pose a danger to those in the surrounding area, especially on 21st Street, where city attorney Mike Bearden is looking into legal options for tearing down the old Sun Valley Apartment building.