We were somewhat saddened to learn that the PRIDE program has cut funding for its upcoming spring clean-up, and here in Perry County the annual countywide event will be pared down to a total of two days.

It’s not as if no one saw this coming with the economy continuing to sputter and PRIDE being a federally funded program, but we’re a bit concerned that all of the progress Perry County has made in cleaning up our communities could be reversed unless we continue the focus.

Whatever criticisms one may have of Judge-Executive Denny Ray Noble, our county judge has always been aggressive in his mission to clean up the county, in some cases to the point of using his personal equipment to help haul off old cars or donating hours of his time to pick up roadside litter.

So we’re hopeful that Judge Noble will continue that mindset, even in the face of dwindling funding from PRIDE. We realize the county also does not have extra money to burn, but we believe, as we think the judge does as well, that keeping our county a clean one is of the utmost importance not only for the aesthetics of our home, but also for the health and well-being of our people. It also helps in attracting new business to the area.

First and foremost, though, people need to stop littering, of course. Littering has become a problem so much so that even the county’s community service workers have a hard time keeping up with it. In an ideal world we wouldn’t even need a spring clean-up.

But in the meantime, we encourage every able resident of Perry County to join together on April 9 and 10 for this year’s PRIDE spring clean-up, which is a needed effort. Though the clean-up may be shorter than in years past, we still need to keep the emphasis on keeping our county clean.