The Village of New Berlin will celebrate Earth Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 20. The day will feature a number of clean up efforts around the village, as well as a contractor fair for area residents. (Photo by Mayor Pete Lennon)

NEW BERLIN – Plans are underway for an annual tidying up of the Village of New Berlin.

The village will hold a community-wide Earth Day celebration from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, which organizers say will spruce up the village and give residents a chance to rid themselves of junk they’ve collected over the years.

The spring cleaning event will feature garbage collection sites, paper shredding, beautification of village signs and historic markers, cleaning in the parks, and volunteers offering their time and lots of elbow grease.

“We’re hoping for good weather,” said Mayor Pete Lennon, noting this is the second year the village has taken its Earth Day event “to a new level.”

“It’s something that’s really good for the community,” he added.

The event will be spread across four sites throughout the village. Site one is trash collection at the school bus garage on School Street, which Lennon said will accept most trash and debris, including tires and small electronics. This excludes large appliances.

Site two, located behind the former firehouse on School Street, is for document shredding, courtesy of NBT Bank. A shredding truck will be on site from 9 to 11 a.m.

Site three will feature a contractor fair at the Chobani Community Center, located on State Route 8 south of the village. Homeowners can consult with contractors from all over the area on home improvement projects big and small. Information will also be available for the village’s home improvement grant program that offers loans of up to $25,000 at 2.5 percent interest.

Lastly, site four – Rotary Park – will serve as a headquarters for volunteers. Community volunteers and groups from Chobani and Preferred Mutual Insurance Company will be on hand to help.

“I really want to thank volunteers and the village community events committee for coming up with some really good ideas,” said Lennon.

More information on the clean-up day is available by calling the New Berlin village office at 607-847-6389.

-Information provided by the New Berlin Events Planning Committee