Lido Shores Volunteer Trash Pickup Day a Big Success

Denis Bischoff, Ken Abt, Anne Essner, Jill & Scott Ramsey clear a stretch of mangroves on John Ringling Parkway

More than two dozen Lido Shorians turned out on a brisk, gray Sunday morning to tackle the daunting task of clearing trash and debris from either side of John Ringling Parkway, from the Pansy Bayou bridge to the New Pass bridge. After more than two hours of stooping, bending and reaching, the energetic neighborhood work crew had stuffed 40-garbage bags with all sorts of refuse, including hundreds of plastic bottles and aluminum cans to a mattress, a tire, paint cans, flip flops, lumber, cinder blocks…you name it, they trashed it.

Organizer extraordinaire Lisa Kates hands out trash bags

Lisa Kates and husband Richard LaBrie deserve major kudos for organizing the work day and providing motivation, trash bags, gloves and water. Bob and Anne Essner, along with Scott and Jill Ramsey donated their electric carts to haul away the bags. The front of the Kates and Essner homes now look like temporary landfill sites.

We've asked the City of Sarasota to pick up the piles, along with several stacks of wood, plastic, cement blocks and other large items dragged from the mangroves and placed alongside the sidewalks bordering John Ringling.

Lisa passes along a sincere Thank You to all who came and pitched in, saying, "Truly, what great neighbors you are, and what a wonderful reflection on our neighborhood."

The next time you drive out of Lido Shores, swivel your heads left and right and admire the hard work of your neighbors…and if you participated, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. ~ BT

(PS- If you lost some keys... Lisa found 2).  

Save the Date: The next Lido Shores Volunteer Work Day is scheduled for May 1st.

Kathy Edstrom shows off her trash stash

Susie Thill cleared the area closest to New Pass Bridge

Katie Lloyd and Alice Freed

Bob Essner drives the electric "trash mobile"

Linda Hargreaves getting started

Filled bags were placed on the sidewalk for pickup by Bob or Scott

Alice Freed clearing an area east of Ringling along the bay

Hauling the filled garbage bags

Dan Mills, Richard LaBrie and Elliott Himelfarb emerge with a mattress

Kent & Jean Williams

Mary Lee Bischoff brings a plastic pail out of the brush

Dan Mills finds a nerf football 

Marg Mills poses with her debris retriever

The final bags of trash being hauled to Scott Ramsey's electric cart

Trash bags piled in front of Lisa and Richard's house…more at the Essner's

The City of Sarasota will haul it all away on Tuesday