A few dozen ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans spent their Saturday mornings picking up trash from an illegal dumping site on a far eastside swath of land flush with sentimental value.
A little over a week ago, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Dragway owner Jim Hughes saw a Facebook post in a Rita Ranch and Vail community forum about illegal dumping happening in the area of South Houghton and East Poorman roads.
The post caught Hughes' attention, not just because the heaping piles of trash were impossible to miss, but also because of the location: The dumping site is just northeast of the dragway's original location. Illegal dumping "encourages others to dump at the same sites. It is unsightly and affects the quality of the public land user’s experience, and cleanups cost the American taxpayer a lot of money," said June Lowery, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management's Gila district.
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With the site holding a spot near and dear to the dragway community's hearts, Hughes asked track manager Matt DeYoung to see what could be done.
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Within days, the team had partnered up with both the Pima County Fair and Republic Services to organize a community cleanup. Armed with a tractor and a Pima County Fair employee to operate it; a set of dumpsters on loan from Republic; and several dozens pairs of hands, the group set out Saturday morning to clean up the mess.
The group met shortly before 7 a.m., with the tractor getting to work on the big items while the people picking up trash by hand started along the sides of the strip and working their way into the desert.
John Osterhout and his loader, both volunteered by the Pima County Farigrounds, fills up a larger loader while helping clean out an illegal dumpsite on Saturday.
In a little over two hours, the group was done, leaving behind a pristine patch of land, reminiscent of the original drag strip.
"This just shows the importance of working with the community around us," DeYoung said. "They're our neighbors at the drag strip. We want to work with them as much as we can, and they know that we’re their neighbors and are as committed to the community as they are."
DeYoung said he's grateful for the track employees and racers that spent their Saturday morning out in the desert instead of getting ready for race day.
"Our neighbors and community are important to us and we know that the area holds special meaning to our next door neighbor, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Dragway," said Launa Rabago, the Pima County Fair's director of Entertainment, Marketing and Special Events. "Now more than ever, we need to help when and where can. Imagine, if each person helped another person, together we would help our world."
Lute Olson was head basketball coach at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ from 1983-2008. He was a seven-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, made five Final Four appearances, won the 1997 NCAA Championship and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. He died Aug. 27, 2020.
Contact Star reporter Caitlin Schmidt at 573-4191 or cschmidt@tucson.com. On Twitter: @caitlincschmidt
