Friends of the Sandy Beach Neighborhood Association teamed up with personnel from the City Department of Public Works to clear debris and trash in advance of Earth Day on April 19, 2008. Crews attacked piles of trash that had been dumped illegally along Atlantic Boulevard behind the Gold Medal Bakery property. "This has been a chronic problem area," noted Fall River City Councilor and Sandy Beach Neighborhood Association President Pat Casey. "People know that they can go back here undetected. We need to do something to restrict access to automobiles. It's such a pretty natural area with a wonderful view of Mt. Hope Bay," she added. The Neighborhood Association organizes a clean-up every spring. Fall River residents are encouraged to organize similar clean-ups around the City by calling the Department of Public Works who will provide tools, trash bags and gloves and arrange to pick up collected trash. These clean-up complement the City's new Operation Clean up Fall River code enforcement efforts. 
 

(Top row, left) Public Works staff Romeo Marchand and Alan Pinel heft an abandoned tire and wheel into the DPW truck for recycling. (Top row, center) City Councilor Pat Casey stands amid discarded shopping carts, mattresses and other debris dumped at the north end of Atlantic Boulevard. (Top row, right) Alan Pinel stands at the back of a city garbage truck while Paul DeMello and Roy Resendes toss a rusted shopping cart into it. (Middle row, left) Councilor Casey sweeps up in front of the gate to the steps leading to Sandy Beach. (Middle row, center) Pat Casey, Bea Moniz, John and Liz Vandal, Nancy Bigos and Adam Lavoie all participated in the morning clean-up. (Middle row, right) Paul DeMello and Alan Pinel carry out abandoned televisions and other debris. (Bottom row, left and center) Sue Bennett and Ken Schoonover pile up bags of trash picked up from the beach along Atlantic Boulevard. (Bottom row, right) Romeo Marchand brings a tire and wheel to the truck.