On Saturday, October 27, 2012, with the help of parents and students from PS 222, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group celebrated the annual clean up along the east side of the BQE. Those of you who have been following, we have focused on the east side of the BQE since 2008. What was once a dumping ground is slowly becoming the garden entrance to Jackson Heights.
We had a great turn out. Some of our seasoned volunteers who had planted bulbs along 34th Avenue median the week before, dug trenches for the approximately 2,000 daffodil bulbs. The PS 222 students were great at planting the bulbs. Their parents were put to work to clean out the over grown tulip garden.
You might not have noticed the garden surrounded by a tall black iron fence that is on 37th Avenue, just before the BQE entrance ramp. Each spring, tulip bloom, so at the end of winter, JHBG volunteers clean up the trash to make sure the tulips can grow. Over the years the garden has become overgrown. With the help of energetic volunteers we cleared out about 50 garbage bags of trash, leaves and branches from the garden. We are putting together a team of gardeners who can work to make the space a spectacular garden spot.
With the help of the JHBG Graffiti Removal team, we also clean up unsightly tags along the street. Getting rid of the graffiti makes a big difference. Next we need to tackle the graffiti along the wall of the BQE!