TCPalm: Want to adopt a road? 23 local streets, roads looking for love

By Tiffany Smith, for TCPalm

PALM CITY, Fla.– Ready for adoption: twenty-three streets and roads throughout Martin County and the City of Stuart, littered and looking for someone to love them.

The Adopt-A-Road Program, which was launched more than twenty years ago through a collaboration between Martin County and non-profit Keep Martin Beautiful, is “a perfect win-win partnership,” according to Craig Ahal, President of Keep Martin Beautiful. “Adopting a roadway and caring for it empowers every citizen and business to take part in a very tangible way in improving the beauty of our environment.”

Each stretch of roadway is about a mile long. The Adopt-A-Road sponsor signs a one year contract, pays an annual fee, and agrees to remove litter and debris along the roadway at least six times a year. “It’s a great team-building effort for businesses,” Ahal says, “and it’s a wonderful hands-on activity that can be used to teach young people about environmental stewardship.”

More than one hundred streets and roads have already been adopted. Some sponsors choose roads near their homes, while many businesses prefer to adopt busier roadways with lots of traffic to gain more name recognition and advertising for their businesses.

While it’s a unique marketing opportunity, it is also a way for citizens to help save tax payer dollars through volunteer efforts. When you add up the value of the time the adopt-a-road volunteers spend removing litter from these roadways over the course of a year, that’s money saved in not having to pay a government worker to do the same job.

“Our goal is to have all of our available roads adopted before the fall,” Ahal says, “In a perfect world, everyone cares for their roads properly and drivers see no cans, bottles, paper, and plastics.  They only see a clean and litter-free road and the Adopt-a-Road team sponsor name on the signage.”

Here is a list of streets and roads that are in need of adoption and say, “Hey, I’m Available.” To adopt one of them, call 781-1222, email info@keepmartinbeautiful.orgor visit keepmartinbeautiful.org/adopt-roadfor more information.