To The Editor:

On Saturday, April 11, the Rural Preservation Association of Northwestern Lehigh County held its 19th annual Cleansweep for the four Northwestern Lehigh townships.

The weather was perfect, and community participation was excellent as usual.

Anyone looking at the picture of the Cleansweep volunteers on the front page of the Northwestern Press April 16 edition could see the event is not all hard work, but enjoyable also.

Lowhill Township again generously donated the use of its facilities, and the township crew assisted in preparing for the event by coordinating placement of the containers at the township site.

Many RPA members volunteered for the morning, as did a great group of senior students from Northwestern, and a several young men sent from Lehigh County Juvenile Probation.

Everyone working together made the event go smoothly.

This year Cleansweep collected 2,140 pound of steel scrap, 2,440 pound of appliances, 219 pounds of non-ferrous metals, 50 gallons of used oil, 2 containers of trash, a tractor trailer load of tires, a barrel of used baling twine, half-a-pickup load of vehicle batteries, a box truck full of household items, toys, books, and furniture for Via of the Lehigh Valley, several boxes of holiday lights for the Lions Club to recycle, and more than 6,000 pounds of electronics including 53 TVs, 20 monitors, 150 pounds of household batteries, 72 fluorescent lamps and 53 pounds of electronic scrap.

The RPA would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the following participants who made the day a success: Berger Sanitation, Bagel Bunch, E. Schneider and Sons, Systech Environmental, 309 Auto, Via of the Lehigh Valley, Heidel Hollow Farm, Travis, Bill and Tom, Mike, and helpers, Northwestern students, Lowhill Township and road crew, the group from juvenile probation and all the RPA members who assisted with everything from refreshments to donation collecting.

The RPA was pleased to offer, from proceeds after expenses were covered, a $2,000 scholarship to Claire Bachman as she pursues a career in veterinary medicine.

To everyone who participated from the community with diligent recycling and generous donations, thank you for being a part of Cleansweep.

Teena Bailey

president

RPA-NLC