As Old Man Winter finally releases his icy grip on State College, local township members are beginning spring cleanup by fixing area roads and encouraging other residents to tidy up their yards.

Some property owners forget about the hidden piles of trash and refuse that are hidden by vast amounts of snow in their yards. When the snow melts, the trash is exposed and, most often, is not cleaned up. This is where Lori Sowash steps in.

Sowash, borough ordinance enforcement officer, is responsible for enforcing spring cleanup policies in State College. She said the area's appearance is the worst in the spring because of the trash problem.

"When the snow melts, the grass and plants are ugly, and the trash is exposed," Sowash said.

Generally, when the weather begins to warm up, Sowash begins to evaluate each property, she said. If there is a refuse violation, a warning is issued, and the property owners have three to four days to clean their property. Otherwise, the owners are slapped with a $35 fine.

"Refuse classifies lots of different things," she said.

Refuse can be trash on the ground, a parked vehicle in front of a Dumpster, or furniture piled up in the yard. They are also examples of what Sowash looks for when she issues a warning.

Since the beginning of March, Sowash said she has issued more than 100 warnings to property owners, and more than 30 of those warnings later resulted in fines.

"A warning lets people know there's a problem first," Sowash said.

She said student rental houses and fraternities are the most common violators, as many of them are living in State College on a temporary basis, unlike permanent residents, who traditionally take better care of their property.

"They own it; they have a stake in it," Sowash said of the permanent residents' property.

She said the warnings could be confusing for some students. Most often, they do not know who in the apartment should clean up the yard or if the responsibility falls to the landlord instead of the students.

"There's always a clause in the lease that says who is responsible," she said.

To help move more bulky items, the borough has a trash pickup every Wednesday, unless it is a holiday, called Riff-Raff Day.

Riff-raff is defined by a borough ordinance as waste material that is too large to be collected in an ordinary container.

Students can call the borough and tell them the night before pickup that they have an item that needs to be disposed of, and it will be taken away the following day.

The service does not cost students anything extra on their normal trash bill.

In nearby Ferguson Township, road repair is a key element in spring cleanup. Public Works Director David Modricker said pothole patching, road sign repair and general road problems are the focus of their efforts for the next few months.

A volunteer group, Adopt-A-Road, is also helping. Members "adopt" a road or section of a road and are given the responsibility of cleaning up and maintaining their designated area.

"We've been getting calls already from people who are interested," he said.

Modricker said the cleanup is weather dependent but is not stopping them at this point.

Patton Township Assistant Engineer Michelle Merrow said leaf-and-brush collection is being conducted for residents and will continue for the next few weeks.

Two community groups, Clear Water Conservancy and Centre Region Parks and Recreations, are also helping to clean up the area.

The conservancy maintains streams in the township, and Centre Region tidies up the parks. The cleanup for the two areas will begin April 17.