OGDENSBURG -- Parks and Recreation Director Matthew J. Curatolo offered appreciation to the various volunteers and organizations that helped make the Charles W. Kelly citywide cleanup a success.

“In my mind the citywide cleanup day in honor of Charles W. Kelly was a huge success. We took out two truckloads of garbage from city parks and the Maple City Trail, which is a lot. We had between 75-85 volunteers total turn out from a variety of groups,” he said.

“Thank you to the OFA National Honor Society and Key Club, NYSCOPBA, Rotary Club, the Boys and Girls Club, Cub Scouts Pack 2 and a host of other volunteers who made it happen.
Thank you to the Knights of Columbus for hosting the event and providing lunch and NYSCOPBA for bringing donuts and coffee in the morning.”

The event was held May 11 in Ogdensburg.

Kelly spent more than half a century working for and leading multiple newspapers in St. Lawrence County.

He was responsible for supervision of all St. Lawrence County Newspaper properties including editorial, financial, production, distribution, and general supervision of all publications. In 2010 at age 75, Kelly retired after 56 years of service.

He died in October at age 83.

Kelly was also one of St. Lawrence County’s most prominent community leaders.

He received the Volunteer of the Year Award for his efforts in getting state officials to approve construction of Ogdensburg and Riverview Correctional Facility in 1983.

More recently, he led successful efforts to keep the Ogdensburg’s prisons and the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center from closing.

Kelly also served as chair of the city’s Recreation Commission for many years, and the Kelly Park Committee decided a suitable way to honor his memory would be to launch an annual citywide cleanup campaign.