East Side Fire earns Idaho Transportation Department award
East Side Fire District was honored with the 2023 Outstanding Group of the Year award by the Idaho Transportation Department's Adopt-A-Highway litter pickup program. From left: Jim Thompson, Idaho Transportation Department District 1 Board Member; Julie Youngman, District 1 Adopt-A-Highway coordinator; Felicia Bruyette and Laurie Lamont, East Side Fire; Damon Allen, District 1 engineer; East Side Fire Deputy Chief Charlotte Pegoraro and East Side Fireboat Capt. Norb Twillmann.
Courtesy photo
East Side Fire volunteer Amy Reagan finds treasure among trash during a past litter pickup. East Side Fire has been honored as the 2023 Outstanding Group of the Year by the Idaho Transportation Department's Adopt-A-Highway program. The volunteer fire department has collected more than 50,000 pounds of trash along Highway 97 and Burma Road over 20 years.
East Side Fire District in Harrison has been honored as the District 1 Outstanding Group of the Year for 2023 by the Idaho Transportation Department’s Adopt-A-Highway program.
The award was presented July 23 at ITD's District 1 department headquarters. This is a district award that is presented to six different groups throughout the state each year, one per district. District 1 encompasses Idaho's five northern counties.
East Side Fire has provided biannual roadside cleanup for 26 miles of State Highway 97 and 5 miles of Burma Road for over 20 years. During that time, over 50,000 pounds of trash have been collected by East Side volunteers, their families and other community members. Over 3,500 pounds of trash were collected last year alone.
When the program began, East Side Fire Capt. Hans Munnich sweetened the task by tucking $2 bills inside plastic eggs and placing them along the roadside for volunteers to find. Over the years, that practice waned, but when Deputy Chief Charlotte Pegoraro learned that East Side Fire was chosen for the award, she secretly reinstated it, including a few eggs containing gift cards.
“We are so grateful for our dedicated volunteers who not only keep our community safe, but also keep our community clean by volunteering their time to pick up litter along the roads," Administration Chief Amber Loewe said in a Monday news release. "We have a truly special group of people here and we would not be who we are today without our past and present volunteers.”
The Idaho Transportation Department has highway areas available for adoption. Those interested in adopting highways for litter cleanups can contact Adopt-A-Highway coordinator Julie Youngman at 208-772-1240 or email julie.youngman@itd.idaho.gov for details.
"We want to make sure all the groups in our district know how much they are appreciated by the Idaho Transportation Department," Youngman said.
East Side Fire volunteer Amy Reagan finds treasure among trash during a past litter pickup. East Side Fire has been honored as the 2023 Outstanding Group of the Year by the Idaho Transportation Department's Adopt-A-Highway program. The volunteer fire department has collected more than 50,000 pounds of trash along Highway 97 and Burma Road over 20 years.