The Advisory Litter Committee, appointed by Springfield City Council Ward 6 Councilor Victor Dávila, announced its final recommendations report, entitled “Recommendations for Curbing Litter in the Forest Park Neighborhood” today in a press conference at Springfield City Hall in the City Council Chamber.

Over the past three months, the committee, community members, and city representatives have met to develop ideas for litter solutions in Forest Park and the city at large.

“The committee has put together a strong report with twelve distinct recommendations for City Council and Mayor Sarno,” says Councilor Dávila. “They engaged the public, DPW, the Housing Department, the Parks Department, Roca, the Forest Park C-3 team, the Sheriff’s Department, and the list goes on. This collection of concerned Forest Park residents has impressed me with its dedication to doing the hard work and bringing forth solutions in a way that the entire neighborhood, as well as the rest of Springfield, can participate in discussion and, let’s hope, implementation.”

The Advisory Litter Committee—made up of residents of Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood and appointed by Ward 6 City Councilor Victor Dávila—was gathered to identify problems and recommend solutions to the Springfield City Council and Mayor on how to address litter in the Forest Park neighborhood. The committee is chaired by Forest Park resident Erica Swallow, who also serves as president of Springfield Preservation Trust and as a newly elected board member of the Forest Park Civic Association.

The committee met and organized throughout the first quarter of 2023, culminating in this final recommendations report presentation. Councilor Dávila had envisioned this committee and its recommendations to serve as a blueprint to further address litter throughout the city, and the report recommendations reflect that vision, in that Forest Park is recommended as a pilot arena for multiple of the solutions.

Councilor Dávila and Swallow report having had a productive meeting with Mayor Sarno, Chief of Staff Thomas Ashe, and Parks, Recreation & Building Management Director Patrick Sullivan a day prior to the public release of the report.

“We previewed the report with Mayor Sarno,” Swallow says. “He and his staff have brought a collaborative mindset to engagement with our committee, and we are hopeful that he’ll continue his current anti-litter work, as well as launch some of the work you see within our recommendations.”

Download the final report here, and reach out to Councilor Dávila for any additional questions.