Sprucing up Sultan’s core

The next generation of Project Main Street volunteers made their debut at the annual event focused on tidying up downtown Sultan.

Volunteers of America Youth Coalition coordinator Ruth Shapovalov and around a dozen of her kids came out to help clean the corridor right off U.S. Highway 2. They helped apply some needed paint, and trimmed overgrown foliage. The group goes by the “Make a Difference Squad,” and each member was hard to miss in their neon shirts from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 10.

Shapovalov said she faced no challenge in getting the youth volunteers to participate. The team has been enthusiastic in their new mission. They want to provide yard work services to residents that have trouble completing the labor themselves, such as seniors. She said she believes it is essential to acknowledge the kids for their efforts.

“Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated,” Shapovalov said.

The approach is one that will be used in response to the results of Washington’s 2016 Healthy Youth Survey, which showed many kids have opportunities to do good in Sultan but lack support from adults, Shapovalov said. She said she and a team of residents want to turn that around. 

The Youth Coalition was formed in conjunction with the recently revived Sky Valley Drug Free Communities Coalition. The two community groups are using evidence from the youth survey to direct efforts.

Youth Coalition member Jaydin Halk was out on Main Street repainting the lines that separate parking spots on Saturday. He said he was happy to lend a hand that morning. He chose the chore because his dad is a painter.

“It’s pretty fun,” he said. 

Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick said this was the 10th year the city of Sultan has organized the event. About 50 volunteers showed up this year, which was a very good turnout, she said. The crowd gathered at the River Park Gazebo at 9 a.m., where duties were doled out, she said.

“It’s all about community building and taking pride in your city,” Eslick said. “That’s really the bottom line.”

At the start of the event a handful of leaders called the Sparkle Captains had to make their case to the volunteers having to choose whether they will be washing, weeding, cleaning or painting, said resident Michelle Tinney. She wore a shiny crown and was covered in glitter.

“My squad does the dirty work,” she said. 

Tinney said she and her team finished the bulk of their goal to spruce up the curbs and sidewalks near the north end of Main Street. The aim is to get the city looking good before the annual Sultan Shindig, she said, which will be held July 7-9.

Startup resident Donna Rice needed a few strong arms to help her remove landscaped rocks in front of the Pacific Pride fueling station on U.S. Highway 2. Although the focus is usually on Main Street during the event, her plan that day was to beautify the arterial. She said improving the look of the highway will show visitors and locals that people care about their city.

Rice and two youth coalition volunteers spent three hours in the sun tossing stones the size of grapefruits into a pile that covered and rose high from the flatbed of a truck. She said the two boys saved her hours or most likely days of labor.

The city of Sultan’s volunteer coordinator Donna Murphy makes the many cold calls every year to spread the word about the project to different businesses, churches and organizations. Murphy said she does her best ever year to make the day fun for her volunteers. She added the event could not be accomplished without assistance from the city of Sultan’s Public Works staff.

Public Works field supervisor Nate Morgan said, aside from a cleaner corridor, the efforts of the volunteers save the city a good amount of work, and sometimes they can better address the details. Main Street is routinely cleaned by the city, but street sweepers can’t get into the tight corners near curbs, he said.