SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — The city’s annual effort to collect unwanted items in targeted neighborhoods begins on Monday morning. Sioux Falls’ Project NICE/KEEP neighborhood cleanup is going on this week.
Each year the Environmental Section of the Sioux Falls Health Department receives approximately 1,800 calls and referrals from citizens concerned about neighborhood environmental nuisance issues in various parts of the city.
Approximately 30 years ago, the City began to notice an increase in the number of nuisance issues addressed each year, so a proactive approach to reduce or at least limit the increase was implemented. The City developed a project called NICE (Neighborhood Improvement Complaint Easement) that would identify specific neighborhoods at risk of nuisance concerns and assist the neighborhoods to address those concerns.
A few years later, the City developed a similar project called KEEP (Keep Environmental Enhancement Permanent) to work in conjunction with the NICE program. Each year these neighborhoods, designated as the NICE and KEEP areas, get a helping hand in the form of a cleanup using City volunteers. In addition, these neighborhoods receive educational materials about the City and its services. Through the implementation of these projects, the City has been able to keep the number of neighborhood nuisance cases static despite an increase in the City’s population since its inception.
The 2019 Project NICE Phase 1 area is contained within the boundaries of South Southeastern Avenue on the west, South Sycamore Avenue on the east, East 18th Street on the north, and East 26th Street on the south. The 2019 Project KEEP area is contained within the boundaries of North Lewis Avenue on the west, I-229 on the east, East Rice Street on the north and East 10th Street on the south. The cleanup will be offered to these neighborhoods the week of September 9-13, 2019. If weather does not permit cleanup at that time, an alternate week will be chosen.
Overall the projects have been extremely successful in meeting the goal of keeping neighborhoods healthier and safer as well as helping to improve property values. The City has a goal to provide fair and equitable access to program benefits by citizens while achieving the goal of maintaining or improving the environmental condition of neighborhoods in Sioux Falls.
(SOURCE: City of Sioux Falls)
