The Second Annual Lavaca River Clean-Up, Downtown Hallettsville will be held on April 1, 2024

The Lavaca County community, including the Hallettsville Girl Scout Troop 9513 will meet at Hallet Oak Gallery at 8 am to receive a safety briefing and t-shirts, and to split into two large teams. The public is welcome to join in the clean-up. The plan is to leave Hallet Oak Gallery at 8:30 am sharp to begin picking up trash at two locations.

The clean-up is planned to start and end at two bridges simultaneously: County Road 1 Poor Farm Bridge and Hwy 77/90, starting at 9 am sharp and ending at 9:45 am with group photos being taken at 10:00 am.  “This event is to make a difference by working in two separate volunteer teams to clean-up the Lavaca River in 45 minutes.  Comments heard after the last years’ clean-up, was that it was fun, enjoyable, and felt good to help the river which benefits community”,  said Mieko Mahi, President of Hallet Oak Foundations’ Friends of Lavaca River group.

Groups Participating:

Friends of Lavaca River Group, Hallettsville Girl Scout Troup 9513, League of Women Voters of Lavaca County, and other groups, including  Individuals desiring to be a part of the clean-up. Spectators are welcome to set-up a chair and watch.

The check list of items coordinated:

Mieko Mahi, President, Hallet Oak Foundation, is providing give-away safety items from Inteplast Group. Additional items will be brought in from Lavaca-Navidad River Authority, Patrick Brzozowski, PE, General Manager and Chad Kinsfather, Director of Environmental Services, which included trash bags, T-shirts all sizes. Safety cones from City of Hallettsville for the team leaders to warn traffic of clean-up.

TxDOT items donated: wildflower seeds and 50 safety vests. Friends’ items:  50 bandanas, extra trash bags, work gloves, and safety kit. Donuts will be provided. Mieko Mahi requests  these extra items are needed to be in all the team leaders’ vehicles: bottled water, Gatorade, bug spray, spray sunscreen, giveaways, and a  safety kit.

Darrell Wachel and Chad Kinsfather will lead the teams on the banks at CR 1 Poor Farm Bridge and Mieko Mahi, Milton Mache, and Patrick Brzozowski, PE will lead the teams at 77/90 Bridge. Valeria Nicole Mayo and Darlene Immekus are the Troop 9513 Leaders for the Girl Scout families.

Special Appreciation Shout-Outs  to:

• Steven Pituch, Hallet Oak Gallery, fine art photographer for photography coverage
• Grace Ward, Hallettsville City Manager, for providing trash pick-up assistance for 1 Day Trash Dumpster Use at 77/90 Bridge – All trash must be in this special provided dumpster by the end of the day. “Please take advantage that it is there and make sure it is full for this special occasion to make Hallettsville both beautiful and safer”, says, Mieko Mahi.
• Inteplast Group for Caps, Safety glasses, Gloves, Whistles, Trash bags.
• Lavaca-Navidad River Authority for T-Shirts: Lavaca River Clean-Up
• TxDOT for Wildflower Seeds to spread out in Oct.
• Judge Keith Mudd for Announcement and Proclamation for Annual Lavaca River Awareness and Clean-Up Day.
• RL Bordovsky, Town & Country LLC and “Tommy” Tumis, Tumis Tire and Automotive, Hallettsville for their personal assistance to this clean-up to be successful.