Improved Shalimar Drive Will Have Cleaner Streets

A neighborhood cleanup along Shalimar Drive will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, hosted by the Costa Mesa Police Department’s Westside Substation.

Police officers, residents and members of the Shalimar Improvement Assn. plan to make minor repairs, pick up trash and repaint faded curbside addresses along the 700 block of the once-troubled residential street, said Jerry Badasch, a senior volunteer with the Police Department.

Cracked and dirty alleyways riddled with litter, abandoned furniture and rainwater-filled potholes also will be targeted for cleanup.

Having recently viewed a videotape of the alleys, City Council members have made improvements to the area a high priority. A proposal to purchase or take control of the privately owned alleys from property owners is still being debated.

Though still beset with problems, Shalimar is much improved in the last year, officials and residents said, since the city launched the Shalimar Drive Improvement Plan.

The aggressive program uses stepped-up police patrols, neighborhood watch, gang prevention and parking bans to combat criminal activity. Drug dealers, gangs and other lawbreakers have moved most of their illegal activities out of the area since the program began, officials said.