Chief Brad Wells, Police Volunteers, Unite For Wood River Highway Cleanup

WOOD RIVER - Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells, joined by Wood River Mayor Tom Stalcup and Councilman Scott Tweedy, recently took part in an initial cleanup of a one-mile stretch at a key entry point into the city, partnering with local volunteer Rusty Wheat as part of a broader highway trash cleanup effort in Madison County.

Wheat, who has adopted 11 miles of Madison County highways for cleanup with his group, the Chain Gang, said he had been looking for someone to take on the one-mile section near the entrance to Wood River.

“I talked to Brad (Wells) about trying to find an advocate to adopt that area, and Brad adopted it with police volunteers,” Wheat said. “Mayor Stalcup, Councilman Tweedy, and Brad were all there for the initial cleanup. It is an important area because it is right where you enter Wood River. It is the first thing you see when going into Wood River.”

The adopted stretch runs from Interstate 255 toward Wood River on Illinois Route 143, from 255 to Pride Fitness Club. Wheat explained that the location is a “gateway to Wood River, and the cleanliness there is so important.”

Wheat said his program emphasizes community involvement beyond the cleanup itself.

“Leading by example is the whole premise of what I do with this program throughout the county," Wheat said. "It is great to get people to give back their time for their communities like this.”

Wheat said Wells and police volunteers are using their off time for the effort.

“Brad is a good man, and he and his police department members volunteer their off time to a road like this,” Wheat said. “It probably only needs to be cleaned every three months.”

Wheat said the Chain Gang continues to clean other nearby sections, including “the other two miles that go the other direction in Wood River,” and noted he has covered 11 miles total in Madison County for continual road cleanup.

He also described a personal reason for his long-running commitment to the section that goes the other direction in Wood River, saying he adopted one section in memory of his brother, David, and his best friend, Jeff Arnold.

“My brother and best friend were killed there by a drunk driver back in 1978,” Wheat said. He said they were “waiting for me to get off work” when they were struck by a drunk driver in a head-on crash. “The drunk driver was going uphill in the wrong lane and hit them head-on and killed them,” Wheat said.

“Also, the area is where trash trucks exit for the landfill,” he said. “It has meant a lot to me.”

Wheat said other municipalities are considering similar efforts.

“Hopefully, we will get Bethalto and Roxana to do the same thing,” Wheat said, adding that “Roxana and Bethalto are now looking at doing the same thing thanks to Brad’s example.”

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