Pine keeps it clean, boosts community pride with trolling for trash program

When your town is named after a tree, it only makes sense to find ways to keep the environment as pristine as possible.

But keeping trash from piling up along Pine’s miles of streets and roads is no simple task.

So officials have created several ways for residents help preserve their community’s natural beauty.

“The idea behind our Adopt-a-Pineways program is to partner with residents to help keep Pine beautiful by having them take responsibility for maintenance of a section of roadway,” said township manager Jason Kratsas.

Kratsas, whose only been in the job since August when he replaced longtime manager Scott Anderson, who retired, said one of the things he immediately notices about Pine residents is their willingness to pitch in.

“The people here have a great deal of pride in their community, so a bigger part of the Adopt-a-Pineways program is the opportunity to engage with people and get them involved,” he said.

One recent example of how a roadside cleanup program and bring people together is a project conducted by local high school students.

Students from Pine-Richland’s Global Relations Club and the American Field Service Club at Mars Area High School were joined by foreign exchange students from Pakistan, Portugal, France, Germany and Thailand to clear a stretch of Brown Road in Wexford on Oct. 9.

“AFS-USA of Western Pennsylvania is proud to partner with Pine Township and appreciates the opportunity to give back to the communities that support our international students,” organizers said.

Kratsas said the student project is a “prime example of how people will step up and do something for their community when they are given the opportunity.”

Groups can adopt a road or a portion of one for a two-year period, according to the application.

Participants must go through a safety orientation and agree to hold a minimum of three litter pickups a year, including one in April to coincide with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Month and another in October prior to the winter season.

The township supplies crews with safety vests and trash bags and will post a “Litter Crew Ahead” sign while the group is working.

Residents who do’t want to commit to adopting a roadway can help by participating in the spring and fall cleanups.

Kratsas said having residents walk the roads clearing trash also can help township officials keep track of road conditions.

“Having road warriors out there is a nice byproduct of the program,” he said. “If they spot something that needs attention like a clogged storm drain or another repair that’s needed we can get to it quickly.”