ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 2, 1996 TAG: 9604020039
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Reporter's Notebook
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE
Brad Harvey used to canoe down the Radford section of the New River, usually floating to the right side. Lingering near the banks of Bisset Park, he'd see the pristine grass and towering trees of a clean, well-kept slice of nature.
Last summer, he steered toward the left, and the steep bank that drops down from Hazel Hollow Road.
"It was disgusting," he said.
Aside from the usual aluminum cans or Styrofoam cups scattered by careless passers-by, Harvey saw major appliances, automobile tires and couches clogging the undergrowth of the bank and slipping close to the river's edge.
Harvey, who lives off of Hazel Hollow about two miles from Memorial Bridge, said he drives by the trash two to four times each day and "basically just got tired of looking at it."
So, three Saturday's ago, Harvey brought out two pickup trucks and a dump truck he'd borrowed from the car dealership where he's part owner.
And, he borrowed two of his workers, Cory Wright and Tim Ratcliffe.
Harvey enticed the men by offering to pay them for the work, "but once they got out there they understood and wanted to help," he said.
In the warm sunlight of the early spring day, Harvey and the others walked three miles of Hazel Hollow, filling up the trucks in no time.
"There was a lot of bagged trash - stuff that could go to any Dumpster," he said. "We tied ropes to refrigerators, about 10 TVs, bicycles, couches. ... I can't believe people would do that."
Along the way, neighbors waved or stopped to offer help next time - something Harvey said was "really heartwarming to see."
The New River Resource Authority landfill allowed Harvey to dump the massive loads for free - normally it costs $58.50 per ton.
Harvey said he'd like to see local landfills offer a free day of dumping to encourage people to use the dump instead of the side of the road to trash their leftovers.
In the meantime, Harvey said Hazel Hollow looks much better - "I wish you could have taken a before and after picture."
But there's still more to pick up, and Harvey said he hopes to bring out more of his neighbors for the next Saturday cleanup.
"We're not going to stop. We'll get it clean."
Lisa Applegate covers education for the New River Valley bureau of The Roanoke Times.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB