The Waukegan Port Authority is inviting the public to join a massive cleanup of Waukegan the beach from 8 a.m. to noon April 22. The event kicks off near the Waukegan Yacht Club at Clayton Street east of Pershing Road.
The port authority is partnering with the city of Waukegan, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Waukegan Police Department, the Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory Group, the Greater Waukegan Development Coalition, SG Marina and other corporate and private citizens to clean the harbor and Lake Michigan shoreline, said Tom Ceparski, general manager for the Port of Waukegan and the Waukegan Harbor and Marina.
“It’s a good day for all of us to get out there and work together,” he said. “This is a tremendous event, and I’m excited we’re all able to partner in it for the good of the greater community.”
Ceparski said he thinks this is a first time such a massive effort to clean the beach on one weekend will take place. Lisa May, the Waukegan 7th Ward alderman who founded Friends of Waukegan Beach in 2010, said she’s happy to hear about events like these that educate people on keeping their natural resources clean.
For more information, visit waukeganharbor.com.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.