Joiner teens start summer off rejuvenating town

JOINER, Ark. (KAIT) - Teenagers have answered the mayor’s call in “Rejuvenating Joiner.”

The city’s project asked teens, like Michael Rainer Jr., to help clean the city and for the public to donate funds to help pay the teenagers for their efforts.

“Our city kinda looks bad, and it’s coming from a lot of people throwing trash out and all the abandoned houses and busted windows, broken tree limbs,” he said. “I wanted to make it look better.”

Jhacet Rios is another teenager signed up, saying she’s learned new skills along the way.

“I like weed racking; I had never done it before, and I learned today,” she said.

The teens have been cutting overgrown grass at homes and ditches, picking up trash along the city. The mayor, Michelle Williams, right by their side, saying their safety is at the top of her mind.

“We have a truck with water bottles, we have safety glasses, we have gloves, they have boots for when we get down in the ditches,” she said.

The teens will continue working for a couple more weeks, rejuvenating their town and learning to keep it that way.

“I hope to keep it, I mean, cleaner, you know, just not throw so much trash out and keep up with your yards,” said Rios.

“That’s our biggest focus, and we want people to ride through the town and see the difference,” Williams said.

The mayor also said she wants to continue the project in future years.

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