Cleanup Crew Hits Cedar Hill Streets

Cedar Hill streets shone a bit brighter and cleaner Friday, thanks to a new federal pandemic relief-funded partnership between the public works department and a job-training nonprofit for ex-offenders.

The fruits of that new partnership were on display at a press conference and clean streets-walkthrough held at the corner of May Street and Cedar Hill Avenue.

Backed by nearly a dozen orange-vested workers from the nonprofit EMERGE organization and flanked by city Department of Parks and Public Works street-sweeping vehicles, Mayor Justin Elicker touted a new one-year, $75,000 contract between the city and EMERGE.

The contract is funded by a portion of the ​“summer reset” allocation from the $100 million-plus in federal American Rescue Plan aid coming to New Haven. It employs four-person EMERGE crews to travel the city five days a week, assisting city street sweeping operations by raking trash from the tree belt and the sidewalk into the street to allow for the city vehicles to pick that trash up as they wash and clean the pavement.

It represents the latest city-beautification efforts undertaken by EMERGE, which already partners with the city to install bioswales all across town, as well as with the Urban Resources Initiative (URI) to plant and take care of New Haven’s street trees.

This work is about ​“giving back to the community and feeling good about what we’re doing,” EMERGE Professional Development Coordinator Richard Watkins said. For people returning from incarceration, finding gainful, meaningful, and socially productive employment is often hard to do. EMERGE provides all of that, he said, as well as a sense of community and professional pride.

“We may have a criminal background,” Watkins said, ​“but you have to look at what we’re doing now.”

Before hitting the sidewalks and streets with rakes in hand, hustling to clear the tree belt a few steps ahead of oncoming street sweepers, EMERGE workers praised the new city contract — and received some words of praise themselves from grateful Cedar Hill neighbors.

“It’s hard to give back to society” after being incarcerated, EMERGE Supervisor/Coordinator James Dixon (pictured) said. ​“We’re just grateful” for the opportunity.

“People make mistakes,” added EMERGE’s Jermaine Smith (pictured). Working with the nonprofit has helped him become a better man, and a better father, he said.

Lifelong Ridge Street resident Markel Greene (pictured) thanked the crew for beautifying the neighborhood. ​“You’re doing a great job,” he said. ​“This was one of the worst streets.” Now it’s looking like a place one can be prouder to call home.