When the small army gathered with its arsenal of rakes and shovels, the day, and the Diamond Lake neighborhood, looked bleak.
Six hours later, Gordon Ray Park in Mundelein glistened under Saturday’s mid-afternoon sunshine and the 100 or so residents basked in the glow of their hard work.
“It is nice to clean it up and see the place look more like the resort area it used to be,” said Nancy Larkin, who started the Diamond Lake Neighborhood Watch program three years ago in an area that is part Mundelein and part unincorporated Lake County.
The idea to clean up the area was first voiced at a recent Neighborhood Watch meeting. The people there hoped to clean up not only their community’s streets, but also the reputation that had tarnished in recent years due to an accumulation of neglected properties and dilapidated cars dotting the area.
Village tree trimmers and street-cleaning machines will follow the volunteers, and the street shoulders will get a fresh coat of gravel.
Though it has become a bit run-down in recent years, the area has a rich history. Larkin’s house was built 40 years ago, and the house next door is 110 years old. Originally a summer-home community, the area is bounded by Lake Avenue on the east and Diamond Lake on the north and west and Hickory Lane in unincorporated Mundelein on the south.
Over time the cottages evolved into year-round residences. Some were not well-maintained, and many still don’t have central heating.
“People think this is the ghettos of Mundelein, but it’s not,” said Sandra Clark, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1984. “But there are blacks, whites, Hispanics and Indians. There’s a good mixture around here but the area is old, and it needs cleaning up.”
Fred Kliora, one of two community police officers assigned to the area, said there were two benefits to cleaning up the area: First, the litter removal. But just as important, he said, was the fact that neighbors got out of their homes and met each other.
“We are building a bridge between the Hispanic and white neighbors,” said Kliora. “We have a lot of people cleaning up right now who don’t even speak English. Everyone is starting to get to know each other.”
The workers all took a lunch break at the Diamond Lake Recreation Center and downed 20 pizzas provided by the police department. Residents brought beverages and baked goods to share.
The village provided about 250 trash bags. Many of those bags were filled by Whitehall Manor Boy Scout Troop 201. Though Whitehall Manor is outside the Diamond Lake area, the Scouts volunteered to help.
“They asked us to come out, and we said we would,” said 11-year-old Tampa Sanders.
