Serious about Sears

STAUNTON — Although officially cancelled by morning rain, Sears Hill residents and some Staunton City Council members pressed on with a cleanup Saturday.

Trash bags dotted the hilly and cracked streets by noon, when participants paused for homemade chili and pumpkin bread, and a surprise dropoff of four pizzas from Shenandoah Pizza.

Council members Bruce Elder, Carolyn Dull and Andrea Oakes stuck through the rain, roaming over the steep hillside to unearth litter and some antique garbage.

Elder found a 1957 fender, causing Dull to ask if he’d put it to use in his car business.

Laughing, Dull said she too found some surprising garbage: an old RC Cola bottle.

“It’s a 10-ounce,” she said. “I don’t think they make 10-ouncers anymore.”

Council members also covered graffiti on a nearby silo.

The cleanup grew out of a city council meeting last month when Sears Hill residents spoke up about a mugging and complained about “slumlords,” drug crime, overgrowth and garbage on the streets. Many said an informal neighborhood watch exists, but they asked what the city could do to help the historic area known for its architecture and view of downtown.

Neighborhood agitator and unofficial cleanup organizer Christy Wright said the crew will return at 10 a.m. next Saturday.

“Bring costumes,” she joked.

Bridge blockage

The cleanup crew was surprised to find the pedestrian bridge from their hill to the Depot area blocked off with caution tape Saturday morning.

On the eve of the cleanup, a man was injured early Saturday on the bridge, Staunton police said.

A 22-year-old man was crossing at about 1 a.m. when his foot broke through a loose board, police said. The man refused transport to the hospital, police said.

The bridge will remain roped off throughout the weekend. A replacement board is temporarily in place and a public works crew will inspect the bridge Monday, police said.

Residents said Saturday that they have requested bridge repairs in the past.