Plans are continuing for the third annual Austin Community Pride Day.

According to the organizers, the event is planned for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25.

The organizing committee includes Kim Underwood, Steve King, Cory Goetz and Lou Beckel.

The committee and other volunteers met Wednesday morning at the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department offices.

The event is a spring clean-up for the city of Austin.

Volunteers will be asked to pick up debris left behind from winter in city parks, boulevards and other pubic areas including walking/biking pathways.

Volunteers will also be asked to cleanup their own neighborhoods.

The volunteers will be asked to meet at the Austin Municipal Swimming Pool parking lot for instructions prior to the start of the April 25 activities.

Gloves and trash bags will be distributed and assignments made to volunteers who will go to designated areas to pick up debris in public areas.

Trucks donated from local auto dealers will be dispatched to collect the trash bags and return them to the parking lot area, where the Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability will sort the items for recycling.

Dennis Maschka, former PRF department director (now deceased), originated the idea three years ago and his successor, Underwood, has agreed to carry on the project.

Presently, the organizers are recruiting volunteers from clubs, organizations and churches as well as individuals, including youth, adults and seniors, to participate in the April 25 city-wide clean-up.

All interested participants are encouraged to call the PRF department offices at 433-1881 to register to participate.

Pre-registration is encouraged, but not a requirement.

Doing so will help the organizers know how many people they can expect to assist and how many areas will be covered by the volunteers.

For instance, Goetz, youth pastor at Cornerstone Assembly of God Church, is recruiting church youths to clean up the Sterling Shopping Center area.

Thus far, one of the organizers, Beckel, owner of Lou’s Forever Framing, is excited about the prospects for a successful third annual Austin Community Pride Day.

“Many people are showing an interest in helping,” Beckel said. “We’ve had Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts express an interest in volunteering and many others,” she said. “Austin High School Green Club members, too.

“We’re also getting a lot of support from sponsors, who are loaning us the pickup trucks to pick up the trash and who are donating the trash bags and gloves for the volunteers. Everything is being donated,” she said.

The April 25 clean-up will be held rain or shine.

The first two clean-ups succeeded in collecting impressive amounts of trash and debris left in public areas.

Beckel said she hopes the Austin Community Pride Day will become an annual event.

“We hope to keep it going because the problem will always be there each spring,” she said.

Another organizing committee meeting is planned at 8 a.m. April 21 at the PRF offices.

Interested volunteers are invited to attend.