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Carrington-Fuller Post No. 800

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As another one of our community services, Post 800 has adopted a two mile section of NYS Route 38 from the southern village line to the four corners at the Route 34B intersection.
This will require a volunteer effort from members of our Legion family to fulfill this obligation and keep one of the three main entrance corridors to our community looking good. The NYS Department of Transportation administers this program and they provide all of the hard hats, reflective vests and garbage bags that we will need.  When we finish, they pick up the garbage bags along the sides of the highway and dispose of them. We are looking forward to a successful group effort that will further enhance the attractiveness of our community.
Our next highway cleanup project is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025. Please join us at 9:00 AM for a complimentary breakfast at Casper's Diner on Main Street (paid by the post) for all volunteers. From there we will head to the Legion to pick up our bags and safety equipment, review the safety precautions and receive our assignments. If we reach the ideal number of volunteers (16) then each two-person team only has to do one side of one half mile of highway. Should be done in an hour at most. Please give a little of your time to help clean the approach to our community. Sign-up sheet is at the club. Sign up there or  call Commander Frank Heine at 607-280-2428.

 
See below for more information on this program.
 

Adopt-A-Highway Program

Across the country, thousands of communities have signaled their commitment to keeping America beautiful by adopting stretches of highway and pledging to keep them litter-free.

During the late 1980s, the New York State Department of Transportation re-assesed its priorities to best allocate limited resources. DOT's first priority was then - and is now - to operate the state's highways and bridges safely and cost-effectively; for example, to resolve safety issues, to maintain pavement and guide rail, or to control ice and snow. As a result, fewer resources were available for roadside beautification.

Yet garbage strewn roadways are not only an unattractive nuisance, they present safety hazards as well. Litter, particularly plastic bags, can clog drains and cause chemicals to seep into water supplies with highway storm run-off. It can also lead to highway flooding during heavy rain storms. Trash can catch fire or block a motorists' view if caught in the wind. Any discarded containers can become potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread harmful diseases.

Legislation to formalize New York State's Adopt-A-Highway Program was passed in 1990 to encourage individuals or groups to clean up highway roadsides and to recognize those volunteers who do. Participation in the program also fosters a sense of community ownership of the roadway as well as a sense of pride in its appearance.

Today, all 50 states have some type of a sponsor-a-highway or adopt-a-highway program in place because there is a very real human need for aesthetically pleasing roadsides in spite of the reality that highway beautification simply cannot compete on an even level with highway safety for ever-diminishing public funds.

KEY POINTS ABOUT NYSDOT'S ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY PROGRAM

WHO CAN ADOPT A NEW YORK STATE HIGHWAY?

Any business or organization may adopt a highway. On occasion, individuals or families adopt highways. The New York State Department of Transportation welcomes civic, fraternal, service, youth, senior citizen, scout, school, church, synagogue and neighborhood organizations.

WHAT MUST ADOPTERS DO?

Adopters are asked to commit to picking up litter along the section of state highway, which is usually two miles long, at least four times a year for two years. Adopters may mow the roadside or plant flowers and other NYSDOT-approved vegetation. Adopters may also keep the proceeds they earn from any recyclable trash.

WHAT DOES THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DO?

NYSDOT must first determine that the section of highway to be adopted is suitable for adoption. Once that has been determined and the adoption agreement has been signed, NYSDOT will notify local media that the adopters have been awarded custody of a state highway. Before the first litter pick-up, DOT will conduct the requisite safety briefings; outfit the adopters with the appropriate orange safety gear; provide trash bags for roadside clean-up; pick up at a central location the litter the adopters have collected; and, properly disposes of the trash that was collected. The Department will also erect a blue-and-white Adopt-A-Highway sign within the adopted highway to acknowledge the adopters.

ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY SAFETY CHECKLIST