~ Offenders to work an estimated 35,000 hours this year ~

Saint Paul – Spring cleaning of Minnesota roadways gets underway today with the help of offender work crews and Adopt-a-Highway volunteers. Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the fourth annual “Operation Clean-Up” to pick up litter along the state’s highways from now through September.

“Minnesota is a beautiful state,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Now that the snow has finally melted it’s time to do some spring cleaning along our roadways. Again this year, crews of non-violent offenders will pick up trash along Minnesota roadways as part of their sentence. We are also grateful to the many volunteers who help to beautify our state.”

Since 2005, at Governor Pawlenty’s direction, the Minnesota Departments of Corrections (DOC) and Transportation (MnDOT) have worked together on Operation Clean-Up. The DOC provides both state work crews and coordination of county Sentencing to Service crews, who are utilized along the state’s most highly-traveled highways.

More than 95,000 offender hours have been dedicated to cleaning roadways across the state since Operation Clean-Up began. This year, offenders will work an estimated 35,000 hours.

Two offender work service programs will assist with Operation Clean-Up:

• Sentencing to Service (STS): Carefully selected, non-violent offenders sentenced by the court to work on community improvement projects in combination with jail time, or as a probation sanction. Started in 1986, about 30,000 offenders participate in STS annually across the state, working over one million hours.

• Institution/Community Work Crews (ICWC): Minimum-security, adult male state prison inmates from Faribault, Lino Lakes, Red Wing, and Stillwater. An average of 120 ICWC offenders perform work service daily. An additional 40 ICWC offenders construct affordable housing in greater Minnesota.

STS and ICWC offenders work on a variety of community improvement projects including litter pick-up, river clean-up, trail development, and graffiti removal. Crews also prepare for and clean up after floods and severe storms.

In addition to offender crews, volunteers can participate in Operation Clean-Up through the Adopt-a-Highway Program. The Adopt-a-Highway Program enables the state’s environmentally-conscious citizens to make a personal contribution to a cleaner environment.

“We truly appreciate the volunteers who commit their personal time to beautifying our roadways by picking up 26,000 tons of litter each year,” Acting Transportation Commissioner Bob McFarlin said. “Please slow down and drive carefully when you see volunteers or work crews along Minnesota roadways during Operation Clean-Up.”

MnDOT also encourages additional volunteers to join a county or local Adopt-a-Road program, as most state highways are already adopted. Information about the Adopt-a-Highway program can be found at: www.dot.state.mn.us/adopt/.