Suzi Tomberg: If you use the parks, don’t leave a mess

I hope everyone who went out to our city’s parks had great Easter celebrations. That said, I would like to remind everyone that many people use these facilities. Please clean them thoroughly before leaving.

While walking my dog at 5 p.m. Sunday, I was appalled at the conditions I found at Freedom Park. Fire embers smoldering on top of a trashcan, confetti and egg shells everywhere, streamers still hanging in the gazebo, food (including blue-iced cupcakes) smeared into the sidewalks, eggs smashed into the children’s play structure, plastic egg pieces here and there, and many tiny water balloons – just to describe a bit of the scene.

I have never understood why it is OK to trash a park or neighborhood. I live here and have pride in my neighborhood, so I poured water on the embers, grabbed a broom and swept for half an hour. This only made a tiny dent.

We should not wait for a “Love Modesto” Day to clean up after ourselves. Please have pride for the place we call home; don’t make a mess you aren’t willing to clean up. With everyone’s help we can “Love Modesto” every day.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Suzi Tomberg: If you use the parks, don’t leave a mess."