Cheltenham Township Ward 2 Commissioner Dwight Pedro Lewis is organizing a second round of “Fight Blight” from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, April 18.

“Spring is coming, and so is Cheltenham Township 2026 Fight Blight Township Cleanup,” Lewis said. “It’s time to fight blight because it’s the right thing to do. Winter storms and snow left behind more than just cold temperatures: They left behind blight. Now it’s time for all of us to come together to clean up and restore the pride we share in our community. We invite every resident to get involved: join a cleanup team, create your own team, tell us which areas need attention, and encourage friends and neighbors to participate.”

Lewis told Glenside Local that he’s been meeting with the stakeholders to plan for the cleanup. He’s also working on a three-step procedure via OpenGov software for residents to report “blight” in the township going forward.

OpenGov is used to automate most of the township’s manual labor and “has a component that will allow us to report problems online,” he said.

“As part of our long-term strategy, we’re extending our efforts beyond a cleanup day. This year, we want to focus on that extension, and we’re adding a powerful tool [OpenGov] to our cleaning process,” he said. “We’re going to make use of a QR code. If I see something, I can pull over, take a picture, and upload it very quickly with an online form. We’ll create flyers to hand out with the QR code on it for the cleanup day and beyond.”

Lewis launched the cleanup last year in response to an excess of unseemly “blight”: Abandoned cars, dilapidated homes, illegally parked vehicles, fallen trees, illegal dumping, standing water, hazardous structures, graffiti on traffic signs and bridges, and, of course, trash. He said the first-run in October, which took on 16 locations, was an overall success.

“We had over 100 people who collected over 200 bags of trash and 119 tires. This year we want to increase engagement and expand our reach into more public spaces,” he said.

Unlike October’s event, this year’s cleanup will take place at select locations identified by the township’s public works department, according to Lauren Walter, the township’s director of communications. 

You can see photo collections from last year’s cleanup here. The registration form for this year is now open.

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