Service club cleans up US 31.

#OceanaCountyNews #PentwaterNews #PentwaterServiceClub #Adopt-A-Highway

Contributed by Ron Beeber.

Pentwater Service Club members Mark Benner and Dan Hoekstra.

PENTWATER TOWNSHIP — Temperatures and humidity in the 80s at 8 a.m. didn’t deter 20 Pentwater Service Club members from cleaning up two miles of US 31 as part of the State of Michigan’s Adopt-A-Highway Program Thursday, July 21.

The club is among the many hundreds of businesses, civic groups and families that clean up some 6,400 miles of Michigan highways three times a year.

“Watch for snakes!” warned Club President Ron Christians with a smile as he gave final instructions to the eight teams of volunteers who cleaned up the roadside on both sides between Monroe and Wayne roads.

Pentwater Service Club members Dan Hoekstra and Mark Benner.

“More than 30 hours of service club member volunteer time can sure be put to more constructive use than picking up trash that mostly shouldn’t be there in the first place,” added Christians. “It’s really hard to understand why anyone would think nothing of tossing it out while driving down the highway, or anywhere for that matter.”

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) says that Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect about 70,000 bags of trash annually, for a total of more than 2 million bags in 25 years. Last year alone, Adopt-A-Highway cleanups generated a $5 million value for state taxpayers.

MDOT says that just about any group of at least three people is eligible to adopt a highway. Volunteers must be a minimum of 12 years old. Youth between the ages of 12-17 must have adult supervision at a ratio of one adult for every three children. For more information, visit michigan.gov/mdot or serviceclub.org.