Out of 20,000 Portsmouth residents, only six sit on council. Over the years, many members have council have activated the community through plans, cleanups, and by taking calls from concerned citizens and moving their matters forward. Recently, Councilman Andy Cole laced his boots up and took the street to address a city-wide problem himself after weeks of planning in a unique way.

With his like-minded wife, Toni Dengel, who also serves the community through a plethora of avenues, they spent eight hours on Grant Street, which is in Cole’s ward.

“The amount of trash in Portsmouth is overwhelming and disappointing,” Cole explained. “That being said we can’t give up. The only way to get anywhere is to start moving forward. Our City Manager Sam Southerland and Service Director George James were instrumental in making this clean up a reality.”

Cole and Dengel met residents at their cars and unloaded trash, old furniture, and other discarded things people were wishing to part with. The two spent the day getting their hands dirty by helping these people take advantage of free-to-them dumpsters that Cole had arranged with the city. The city agreed to pay for the disposal of trash.

Cole is used to working with his wife, as they both enlist the other to help in projects they join.

“My beautiful wife, Toni, shares my love for Portsmouth and is dedicated to the many positive groups and activities making our hometown feel like home. She always finds a way to make our time together special,” Cole said.

Meanwhile, a crew of city workers jumped in trucks and made a rotation of emptying the dumpsters and then patrolling alleys for discarded trash and furniture.

Over the course of eight hours, and 12 tons of trash, Andy met people with a smile and a handshake, giving constant credit to the crew of city workers who gave up a Saturday to assist.

“The city workers were asked if they were willing to help clean up our neighborhoods and they all willingly gave up their Saturday to give back to our community,” Cole said. “They drove up and down alleys looking for trash. They went to people’s homes and removed large items. They stood in the rain and helped everyone that showed up with a load. They went above and beyond and I am so thankful and proud of them.”

A lot of trash was taken away over the weekend, including old signage, a water tank, old roofing, and a busted drum set, and more.

“I am so proud of my neighbors and city workers that came together to help make our neighborhoods cleaner,” Cole said. “This is just one small step toward a cleaner Portsmouth. It was a targeted clean up and was very successful. As we create more clean ups, and momentum grows, there will be opportunities for all of us to participate and take pride in our neighborhoods.”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.