ROSEVILLE, Minn., - Celebrating the spring season and just in time for Earth Day 2010, the 147th and 247th Finance Detachments of the Minnesota National Guard joined forces with local residents to clean up their community, April 18.
The two finance units along with local community members picked up garbage, glass, and other debris here at Lake McCarrons County Park and Villa Park.
The two detachments have been involved with this community clean up for the last two years. Soldiers teamed up with residents to make the community a much cleaner and healthier environment. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and not a cloud in sight. It was a perfect day for a community service project.
"Today was an opportunity to bring together the military and community members to establish community pride and build rapport within the city of Roseville," said Sgt 1st Class Gail Kaplain, the readiness non-commissioned officer for the detachments.
The group split into two different teams, one team worked at Lake McCarrons County Park where they pulled trash out of the water to prepare for a safe beach area for swimming and for families to enjoy during summer time. They also picked up trash along the picnic area in preparation for upcoming picnics and barbeques.
There was garbage along the trails which the combined force of civilians and Soldiers removed from the area so that local residents are able to enjoy a bike ride or run without seeing so much garbage and enjoy the sight of the lake. They also cleared the area in and around the parking lot.
The second group of Soldiers and civilians were at Villa Park. There were a few areas that required more attention than others. Clearing the lake of debris allowed people from the community to do their daily activity around these small ponds and enjoy the view.
There was also a lot of glass that was cleared from specific areas to ensure a safe area. Fences, which were used to protect young plants, were taken down now that the plants had matured. A lot of leaves and unnecessary brush was raked up from the playground and other surrounding areas as well.
"It's important to show that were not just going to war; that we are Citizen-Soldiers," said Kaplain. "This is a small way to repay a community that supports us as we prepare to deploy and redeploy. We look forward to continuing to participate in the McCarrons area spring clean up for years to come."