Betterment organization disbands, hands over resources to LCLRC

The volunteers of Operation Tidy-Up Lawrence County (TLC) have disbanded their organization. But the group, which started as the Litter Getters, back in 2005, is leaving their resources to the Lawrence County Land Reutilization Corporation to continue the beautification and betterment of Union and Rome Townships.

Tom Schneider, director of the LCLRC, said that the organization was honored to take over their assets for “continued greening and community improvement (projects).”

“The Lawrence County Land Reutilization Corporation would like to acknowledge the years of community efforts by Operation Tidy-Up Lawrence County,” Schneider said. “Since their inception, this community-based group of dedicated volunteers has worked tirelessly to clean up and beautify Lawrence County.”

Starting with picking up litter along county roads, the group eventually pursued and received a $10,000 grant from the state, which they combined with matching funds to create the Chesapeake/Proctorville Corridor Master Plan, Schneider explained. That project worked to “improve and beautify the stretch of road from Chesapeake’s… Third Avenue… into the Village of Proctorville… along State Route 7.”

While Schneider said that the land bank “expresses its regret,” at the disbanding of the organization, “the land bank takes great pride in knowing that TLC has decided that the LCLRC is the best engine in Lawrence County to continue moving forward with their foundational and fundamental works.”

The governing members of the group presented the land bank with a check for the remaining balance of the organization’s funds after approving the transfer in April, according to Schneider, “asking only that the funds be used for greening and improvement projects in the Union and Rome Township areas along the Ohio River, from Chesapeake to the (area) commonly referred to (as the) Village of Rome.”

“The LCLRC, as a land reutilization corporation and a not for profit entity, has a great interest in working in Lawrence County on greening and cleanup projects within the county,” Scheneider said, “and vows to use the TLC funds in like manner and will continue their extremely important work.”