Pitt students shovel, rake, get dirty

Outside the office of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation on Atwood Street, a group… Outside the office of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation on Atwood Street, a group of about 30 students congregated Sunday to plant flowers.

Some wore sandals and some wore sneakers, but none wore anything to prepare themselves for the pounds of mud and soil they would have to stand in, shovel and rake.

In partnership with other local and regional entities, OPDC sponsored the special neighborhood event, gathering students to clear litter and debris from vacant lots in South Oakland as part of the corporation’s broader community organizing initiative, “Keep It Clean, Oakland.”

“We prepped for six hours [Saturday],” OPDC intern Laura Halula said, adding that the corporation had planned to plant seeds in four vacant lots, but, because of time constraints, she decided to focus on one.

From the OPDC office, student volunteers, including members of various Pitt sororities and fraternities, walked through Central Oakland, along Atwood Street and down Bates Street. They eventually end up across the Boulevard of the Allies, at the corner of Hardie and Frazier streets in the less student-populated area of South Oakland.

On the corner, a mound of brown soil sat in the blazing sun, slowly melting into what became a muddy, slippery mess. As they approached the spot, students murmured questions about where the flowers were, when they would get there and what would actually happen.

Surprising some students, Halula told the group that volunteers would first shovel, distribute, and rake the soil across the lot. Only after they had prepared the lot would the students spread the wildflower seeds.

The objective for the day was to remove litter from a vacant lot and turn the land into something pleasant.

“Oakland is not the most beautiful place, but we’re working on it,” junior Rebecca Hollerman said.

After the donated rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows were handed out, students rolled up their sleeves, put on gloves, and got to work. Some students, mostly the male volunteers, used the wheelbarrows to transport topsoil from the mound to the rest of the lot. Other students then shoveled and raked it across the lot.

Although the students were in the lot for no more than an hour and a half, they left the site muddy, sweaty and tired. Volunteers slipped and fell in the mud, but, for the most part, they were pleased with the afternoon’s project.

Many local organizations, including Pennsylvania American Water, Valley Landscaping ‘ Cleaning Service, Inc. and Soils, Inc., donated the tools and materials needed to complete the project. In addition to the corporate donors, local residents also supported the volunteer project.

Pennsylvania American Water has received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and an EnviroStar Award from the Allegheny County Health Department, for its water treatment residual program. As part of the program, Pennsylvania American Water does not discharge water treatment byproducts into natural water resources.