A BIG JOB APPRECIATED — Luke Sweat of Bloomingdale, right, shown with John DiBacco, Cross Creek Township parking and litter officer, was honored with a proclamation of appreciation on behalf of the township trustees for his efforts in cleaning up an area along Cross Creek Township Road 166. The sophomore at Madonna High School in Weirton collected 25 bags of trash and removed 22 tires. The Cross Creek Township trustees honored Sweat with the proclamation earlier this month for his service to the township and its citizens. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — A teenager’s initiative to clean up an area along Cross Creek Township Road 166 brought praise from township officials.

Cross Creek Township trustees expressed their appreciation for the community service project undertaken by Luke Sweat of Bloomingdale, preparing a proclamation in his honor. It was presented earlier this month to the Madonna High School sophomore by John DiBacco, Cross Creek Township parking and litter officer.

“Luke spent a lot of hours cleaning up trash, litter, tires and household items dumped along township Road 166, most of which was dumped over the hillside and in the creek,” DiBacco noted.

Sweat lives with his family on that township road, saw the dumping and littering regularly and decided to help clean it up, according to DiBacco. “He’s a great young man who plans on attending West Point Military Academy,” he added.

The proclamation is signed by Lou Vandeborne, chairman, and trustees Paul Cesaro and Chris Murphy. It extends “heartfelt thanks and gratitude” to Sweat who “demonstrated true leadership abilities while working diligently to improve Township Road 166 by collecting 25 bags of garbage filled with litter and debris in addition to 22 automobile tires that had been dumped carelessly along the roadway.”