To the editor:
I believe that we are blessed to live in a city that is filled with beauty and awesome landmarks, a beautiful park that draws hundreds of people year round; we have buildings that bring back memories of a long forgotten time. Our city Main Street is the envy of many towns and cities; we even have a movie theater that can rival any city. We have visitors that come from as far away as Canada … So we are very, very proud to be a Niles resident.

Now here’s the problem, our side streets and some main streets and corners are hidden by overgrown shrubs and weeds. This makes it easy for people to throw trash and bottles on the side of the streets. When I am walking, I stop and pick up what I can, but there is still so much to do. It is hard to see the stop signs and in order to pull out into oncoming traffic, you almost have to get out of your car to see what’s coming.

But, all is not lost, because, just the other day, I noticed a group of people cleaning up our side streets. They were chopping, raking, mowing and having a good time while doing it. When I asked who they were, I was told they are the Uptown Downtown Group and this is what they do. They did a marvelous job, especially on the corner of Front and Pokagon streets and down by the river. I believe these people deserve a well done and thank you very much for caring. Uptown Downtown keep up the good work.

Jeri Hatcher
Niles