Last month’s Spring Cleanup was a transition event for Keep Jones Beautiful leadership and a success for beautifying the community.
The March 28 event was the last for KJB outgoing director Mallory Lunsford and the first for incoming director Abigail Barton. Lunsford had been in the position since March 2025 and went out on a high note with the successful clean-up event.
Barton joined the team March 2 and has been preparing to take the lead.
It was fitting that the trophy for the cleanup contest was shared by Jones County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Weidner and District 1 Commissioner Sam Kitchens.
At the conclusion of the day, more than 1,000 tires had been collected and 79 bags of litter removed from the roadways. Joe Rutledge with Gray Computers helped with the recycling of old electronics, and more than 27 volunteers gave of their time and energy to “Keep Jones Beautiful.”
Barton said the cleanup is a biannual event, and another will be held in the Fall.
“We are so grateful for the pride and commitment shown by everyone involved. Thank you, Jones County, for stepping up and helping keep our town clean and beautiful.”
Both Weidner and Kitchens talked about the clean up during the comments portion of their April 7 meeting. They agreed it was a successful event and thanked all the volunteers who helped.
“It’s awesome when the community gets out and helps pick up,” Kitchens said. “It’s a good thing and makes you feel good to see the roads when we are through.”
Weidner said several people helped collect tires including a group of youth who collected 30 in their neighborhood. He said that many tires cannot be collected in a day.
“I collected tires on eight county roads, five city streets and the bypass,” the chairman said. “We thank Keep Jones Beautiful who heads it up, and we encourage everyone to help.”
