YOU ASKED: I was wondering how all those Adopt-a-Roads work here in town. Do those who’ve adopted them have to clean them of dirt and litter once a year? Do they hire someone? Or is it just a publicity stunt? There are many adopted roads in town (especially Summit Drive going past TRU) that have a lot of garbage on them but are adopted by certain people/businesses. Is anyone responsible for that or will they just sit there and be an eyesore?

— Alex

OUR ANSWER: There are more than 100 adopted roads in Kamloops, mostly arterial ones, and they are all part of the City’s Adopt-a-Road program, which began in 1997.

Program co-ordinator Jacqueline Beddome says groups sign a contract before adopting a roadway. Basically, they pledge to clean their street at least twice a year.

“Usually fall and spring are what we shoot for but they can go as many times a year as they want,” said Beddome.

Typically, a group adopts a one-kilometre stretch. The City provides the group’s volunteers with high-visibility vests, garbage bags and handheld pickers, then disposes of the collected garbage when the group is finished.

Kamloops Daybreak Rotary sponsors that particular stretch of Summit Drive you referred to in your question, and you’ll be happy to know the club is holding its spring cleanup on Saturday, April 28 from 9 to 10 a.m.

If you’re concerned about the amount of garbage on that road, you could always help in the cleanup. Bring a pair of work gloves to the Thompson Rivers University gravel lot on the corner of McGill Road and Summit Drive and pitch in.

And if you’d like to sponsor your own stretch of Kamloops roadway, give Beddome a call at 250-828-3400. The program is in the process of revamping and there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon.