With the help of two student fraternities, the new University Neighborhood Association hosted its first monthly cleanup to demonstrate how local residents “Take Pride in the Grid,” a section of homes along the Tar River.

The saying is more than a slogan. It is the motto of the growing neighborhood association, chartered last year to take action, said Robert Montaquila, who coordinated the group’s inaugural sweep through the riverside community.

“Everybody keeps pushing the city to do more, but our philosophy is we need to do more as a neighborhood organization to make this a better community for everybody,” Montaquila said. “We want people to take pride in the area and the first step in accomplishing that is to clean it up for all to see.”

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