To the Editor:

I would like to say, “Thank you Voorheesville” for the terrific Village Green Clean Day that was held Saturday, April 18.  Many residents and business owners showed up to help care for our beautiful village.  We were able to clean all streets that were outside of a neighborhood, along with Hotaling Park, Scotch Pine Park, and Coventry Court Park, as well as the gardens around Village Hall.

We had approximately 100 people who helped with the roadside cleanup and about 135 who attended our Open House/Appreciation event. A steady stream of vehicles came through our recycling drop-off.

We collected a truckload of roadside garbage; over 2,700 pounds of clothing and textiles; 10 vehicle batteries and many, many household batteries; approximately 1,100 books went to the Albany Book Project; and five 55-gallon bags of plastic bags and film plastic went to the Guilderland transfer station to be baled and sent to the recycler.

Those who attended the Open House/Appreciation Event were treated to great food — pizza, courtesy of Smith’s Tavern; sub sandwiches donated by Reddy’s Deli and Jaycees Pizza; hot dogs provided by Hannaford Supermarket; and water and soft drinks from Pepsi.

Music was graciously provided by DJs Jim Kiegle and his daughter Heather. Stewart’s was on hand with ice cream for sale, with all proceeds going to the Helderview Garden Club.

We also need to acknowledge all the local businesses that donated their time, money, and inventory to support the event and The Helderview Garden Club, which will be the recipient of proceeds from the event.

Our Super Green contributors include: Lyons Building & Consulting, Purity Hair Design, TJ’s Auto & Truck Parts (NAPA), Smith’s Tavern, All Star Pest Solutions, Atlas Copco, Bisnett Industries, bloom.Salon & Make Up Bar, Hotaling Landscaping, Precision Auto, Pepsi, Printz & Patternz, Steven Lysenko DMD, Stewart’s Shops, and Voorheesville Community & School Foundation.

Other contributors include Advanced Auto, Balance Massage, Brickhouse Pizza, Greg’s Towing & Repair, Hannaford Supermarket, JayCees Pizza Depot, Jim and Heather Kiegle DJ Services, KeyBank, Mizener Contracting LLC, Mobil, Old Songs, Phillips Hardware, Swasey Rentals, The Village Animal Clinic, Village Laundry Room, and Voorheesville Wine & Liquor.

Also a big thank-you goes to the Voorheesville firemen who participated in the roadside cleanup and worked throughout the day at the firehouse, helping to ensure the event ran smoothly.  And we thank the local Brownies and Girls Scouts, The Helderview Garden Club, The Friends and Family of Jerry Clark Adopt-a-Highway group, and other village residents who showed up with smiles on their faces and enthusiastic attitudes as they went out to beautify the village. And last, but not least, we thank Mayor Robert Conway who spent the day directing traffic at the firehouse.

Village Green Clean was made possible due to the hard work and dedication of three lovely local businesswomen: Amanda Scalzo of Purity Hair Design, Kaela Knoth of TJ’s Auto and Truck Parts Inc., and Kait Lyons of Lyons Building and Consulting, with a little help from me as well.  It was a terrific day and we hope we can all do it again next year!

Karen Finnessey

Deputy Clerk Treasurer and village resident

Voorheesville