Weight loss regimen shifted into litter cleanup
MADISON — Claude Hewitt began walking along Mississippi 463 and Reunion Parkway to lose weight.
“I walked about six months and I walked for an hour,” Hewitt said of the beginning of his walking. “Then I met a guy who was picking up garbage.”
Hewitt said that meeting inspired him and his motivation for walking shifted from just losing weight to picking up litter.
Since then, his efforts have gone noticed by his fellow citizens and during Tuesday’s Madison Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler presented a Volunteer Service Award to Hewitt for his efforts on behalf of Keep Madison the City Beautiful.
“Tonight we would like to recognize Mr. Hewitt for going beyond any call of duty,” said Hawkins-Butler in making the presentation. “We hear all the time, ‘Oh, we have so much litter. This needs to be done. This needs to be done.’ When I see Madison, I see every cup. I see every piece of paper … Then I go to other cities and when I come home, Madison doesn’t look so bad.”
Hawkins-Butler’s comment got laughs and applause from the assembled group.
“Mr. Hewitt, it is my understanding that no one asks you to do anything,” Hawkins-Butler said. “You do this on your own. You walk and pick up the debris. You take care of this community. … He is a hero. I wish we had a more like you.”
Hawkins-Butler said she hopes when people learn of Hewitt’s efforts that more people will join in to help with the cause of keeping Madison beautiful.
Hewitt said that after he began picking up litter on his walks, he increased his walking time each day.
“I increased it to two hours and they had so much litter,” Hewitt said. “All the walkers and all the joggers would say every morning, ‘Thank you for what you are doing,’ and then turn around and keep on walking.”
Hewitt’s comments got another laugh from the crowd.
In other matters at Tuesday’s meeting, the board:
• Held a public hearing on cleaning private property at 119 Sunflower Road in Annandale.
After hearing from the property owner Kip Watkins, who apologized and said living in another city made it difficult, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep up the property, city officials voted unanimously to clean the property if Watkins has not cleaned it before the city gets to it.
• Held a public hearing on the former Walgreens building property at 1089 U.S. 51 North. No one spoke in the hearing and the board unanimously voted to clean the property.
• Unanimously approved the final plat for the Whittington subdivision, Phase 3, which will add the 52 home sites to the subdivision off of Welch Farms Road.