I went by Park Mall today and noticed that the dumped furniture has been removed, I assume at the direction of the ownership group.  Vast improvement.  Thanks to whoever was responsible for this.  However, this site continues to be the resting place of windblown trash from the Park Mall area.  This trash has several sources:  Ortega School and Terra Nova High School students frequent the area on breaks and after school and, frankly, many leave their candy wrappers, soda cups, cigarette butts and bottles.  Also, someone (More than one?) hangs out along the fence behind the restaurants and barber shop and drinks alcohol, leaving empty booze bottles.  One day, I picked up 10 vodka bottles from that area.  Patrons of various businesses also litter without much regard for the environment.  The NUMBER ONE piece of litter is cigarette butts.  Hundreds every cleanup.  I’ve picked up thousands of cigarette butts over the past couple of years.  These butts end up in San Pedro Creek, folks, and are very toxic to fish and other wildlife, some of which are endangered.  Businesses:  put some cigarette ash cans in front (and in back where employees smoke on break) of you establishment.  People: get a pocket ashtray or find an ash can.  We can make a difference.

Tom Whitaker