KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
Earth Day 2025 on Tuesday included the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas starting its beautification initiative.
“Today, with it being Earth Day, we thought it was the perfect day to start to get out,” said John Kelly, director of buildings and logistics for the Unified Government.
The series of community clean-up events began around city hall in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, with a group of Unified Government employees.
Kelly led the way, something he also does for the UG’s abatement and beautification sub-departments.
“The beautification really started with the mayor's office, along with the county administrator's office, knowing that we got the World Cup coming in 2026,” Kelly said.
Kelly says the World Cup isn’t the only motivation for cleaning.
“We just really realized over the years a lot of this illegal dumping's been taking place, and most of the illegal dumping's not even people here in our community,” Kelly said. “We feel like a lot of the stuff that we're seeing is people coming from other areas.”
Kelly said he also wants to see reporting of illegal dumping increase, something he hopes to continue working on with the police department.
Getting out Tuesday was about painting a positive picture for the community, he says.
“It's kinda showing all the taxpayers that hey, it takes all of us to get out here and really do a job at cleaning up,” Kelly said.
The team of volunteers made their way through downtown KCK and went down Barnett Avenue.
That's where Mary Howard saw them outside her front door.
“People shouldn't have to come up here and pick up trash,” Howard said. “Everybody should pick up their own trash and keep the block clean.”
Howard’s been living in Wyandotte County since 1970.
“It's a beautiful block,” Howard said. “I’m proud to live in Wyandotte County.”
That pride comes with concern for the issues she’s seen grow over time.
“The curbs are broken, it’s difficult to get in your car,” Howard said.
She also sees a lot of speeding cars, as well trash piles in the alley behind her home.
“I’ve had to stop, get out of my car and pick the trash up and throw it back in the yard,” Howard said.
Kelly says he’s hoping to get buy-in from neighborhood groups like Beverly Easterwood’s.
She’s been president of the Douglass Sumner Neighborhood Association for about 10 years, but she’s lived in Wyandotte County for more than 40 years.
“There has been a lot of disinvestment in the neighborhood,” Easterwood said. “When I grew up, this was a commercial strip from here all the way to Quindaro Boulevard.”
Easterwood draws a lot of her motivation from a simple thought.
“I always think: 'if I don’t do it, who’s going to do it,"' Easterwood said.
In her eyes, beautification starts with education.
Easterwood agrees with a quote from the book, "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America," by Richard Rothstein.
“Only by learning our American urban history can we finally pave the way for our nation to cure its discriminatory past,” Easterwood said.
She, Howard and Kelly no longer want their neighborhood’s trash overshadowing their treasure.
“I know what it was at one time, and I know that it can be better,” Easterwood said.
Visit the UG's website to see the list of upcoming cleanup dates, times and locations.
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