PENDLETON CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — The City of Butler in Pendleton County is working towards a community-wide river sweep to clean and care for the Licking River. It’s part of what’s called the Boo Project, which was created to continue the mission of a man who died in April.
His name is Robert Singleton, but everybody in town knows him as Boo.
“He made trails for the elementary school and for the middle school,” said Ron Mouser, president of the Butler Lions Club. “He made signs for bushes and trees to describe what the kids were looking at.”
“He made his own little signs, not to litter,” Butler Mayor Mason Taylor added. “He would chase down Rumpke trucks if they had, you know, garbage flying out of them. He would chase them until they stopped and would tell him like, ‘hey, you need to secure your load.’”
“They're much better about covering their loads now than they used to be,” Mouser said with a slight smile. “I just told Boo, I said, ‘you got to let them know that they're doing a better job,’ and he said, ‘I already did.’”
Singleton was passionate about the Butler community, and he spent a lot of his time on the Licking River, keeping it clean.
“He wanted people to just take care of the property, take care of the community and, and take pride in what they have and, and where they lived,” said Mouser.
“He saw an opportunity to make a difference,” said Tami Vater, who knew Singleton for a long time. “He had just he had taken something on that had been missing in our community.”
Singleton was working on cleanup after the April floods when he had a medical emergency and died. Just over a month later, Vater has helped Pendleton County put together the Boo Project as a way to honor his life. Vater is the economic tourism and development director in Pendleton County, and she hopes the project will continue Singleton’s mission.
“We have an opportunity to pick up where this man left off,” she said. “His job was not done, and so ours can't be, so we can't let it stop with him.”
The Boo Project is planned for the Butler Community Park area on Mill Street. It includes building a boat ramp and putting in an educational outdoor trail.
On June 7, the park will serve as a hub for a river sweep and roadside cleanup day.
“We're just trying to capture just a small vision that he had,” Vater said. “We're just making it bigger, which is Boo’s style, you know. Make it bigger.”
The Boo Project is looking for volunteers for the river sweep and roadside cleanup day. You can sign up, learn more information, sponsor, or donate by visiting here.
