MACON, Ga. — Carolyn Crayton Park is the place to be when the pinkest party on earth comes to town! However, the Cherry Blossom Festival is just two weeks out, and one man says the trash built up near the park entrance is a real party-killer.
Someone started cleaning the trash earlier in the day, but about two blocks of Walnut Street is littered with trash.
Bedding, tires, garbage, and even a homeless encampment all exist near the park entrance.
So, what's being done about it?
"I can't imagine even Jesus would have approved that situation up there,” Ron Wildman said.
Wildman has lived in Macon since the 60s. He says the brick archway at the Riverside entrance to Carolyn Crayton Park is being rebuilt, and looks nice.
However, the Walnut Street entrance is another story.
"It's overgrown, there's debris, actually it looks filthy because some of that stuff has been there for weeks on end,” he said.
Wildman says he used to weed whack and help maintain the area. He says he had to stop coming.
"I, kind of, halfway got threatened by somebody and I'm not gonna put my life in danger to cut some grass for somebody else,” Wildman said.
In less than two weeks, Macon's Cherry Blossom festival is coming up.
"It's amazing the amount of people that love to come to Macon because of the beauty of the city. To see them have to pass through this mess up here was troubling me," he said.
Wildman says the nearby Daybreak Center that helps the city homeless is trying their best. However, he says someone needs to help them and their homeless clients keep the park area clean all year.
"We're definitely concerned about litter throughout our entire community, 365 days a year,” Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Executive Director, Asha Ellen said.
She says there is a recurring trash problem around the park.
"As soon as we clean it up, unfortunately, our citizens come back again and litter."
Ellen says it's a high traffic area and trash builds up, but they have a plan.
"We are having a countywide clean up in which Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful– this Saturday, March 4– will be partnering with Macon-Bibb, and other organizations,” she said.
Ellen says they're a small non-profit that relies on volunteer help, so large clean ups like this don't happen regularly.
"It has to be a joint collaborative effort between our government and our community,” she said.
Ellen says they'll be working with Parks and Rec, and the Macon Industrial Authority who will be bringing heavier equipment to clean up some areas.
She says Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful will be bringing the volunteers, trash bags, litter pickers, gloves, and safety vests.
She says if you'd like to come help clean up Carolyn Crayton Park, you can meet in the first parking lot as you enter the park through the Walnut Street entrance.
It's a part of Saturday's Clean Streets Matter Community-Wide cleanup.
It starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 2 p.m.
They'll also be cleaning at Frank Johnson Center, Memorial Gym, and the Rosa Jackson Center. Plus some neighborhoods like historic Vineville.