Ivy Ridge Green hosts MLK Day trail cleanups throughout Roxborough and Manayunk

January 17, 2012
By Max Matza for NewsWorks

Blaise Syrnick, 55, is a lifelong resident of Manayunk. His memory predates the establishment of the Schuylkill River Trail.On Martin Luther King, Jr. day, he stood on the trail, which someday soon will connect Center City to Schuylkill Haven 108 miles away.

As Syrnick directs landscaping volunteers, he tells them stories of what the riverfront looked like back then. "There was a monkey swing over the canal before all this was built. It used to be called 'stinky island' where the sewer comes out." He stops sweeping the path and rests his broom against his chest to note, "Great carp fishing."

Volunteers at work

On the national holiday, Blaise Syrnick coordinates volunteer efforts at five different sites around Manayunk and Roxborough.

This MLK day of service volunteers are clearing dead vegetation, removing litter, and chopping down vines at the Roxborough Reservoir, Germany Hill, the Schuylkill River Trail, the Manyunk Towpath, and the future Ivy Ridge Trail.

Its best to clear the area in the winter, "while the poison ivy is dormant," says Blaise Syrnick.

They clear this season so in the spring, they can plant.

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