Several weeks ago, my published letter commended those storefronts on King Street and neighboring blocks that had taken steps to improve the cleanliness of the sidewalks as well as adding flowers and greenery, while urging all others to join in and become good community partners as well.
Since that time, my daily strolls have made me smile but have also made me frown. It is so neat to see how much cleaner all the sidewalks have become, which means more and more establishments are sweeping their walks. 

But I was dismayed to note that the city has almost no trash containers that have concave tops containing sand so that cigarette smokers can smother and dispose of their butts. Since smokers are forced to go outdoors, it is incumbent on the city to provide proper disposal units. No wonder the brick walks are littered with butts. A smoker is naturally going to throw the burning cigarette down to put it out and likely wont pick it up and find a trash can. 
It was reported that eating and drinking establishments have this problem in spades. So, Another partner in this beautification effort must be the city itself providing these containers, as well as recycling units other than in front of City Hall.

But what is really impressive is that we are headed in the right direction. The Chamber of Commerce and garden organizations have begun by restoring and planting tree wells around the area. Now we need each and every business to maintain their fronts, to water the greens and to clean their sidewalks on a regular basis. 
And with new restaurants seemingly opening every day, it is vital that we get ahead and stay ahead in our maintenance efforts. We residents want to be able to brag that we live in a very beautiful as well as a very clean historic city. 

Linda Couture
Alexandria