Americorps volunteers Laura Schneiter and James Cook paint the ministorage units beside Jolly Giant Creek creek. By John Ross Ferrara.

A jar of syringes, broken water pipes and a Jansport full of pornography are a few of the items removed during today’s cleanup efforts at a daylighted section of Jolly Giant Creek near downtown Arcata.

Arcata’s Creamery District, in partnership with Americorps, is removing brush and trash from the site behind the Arcata Hydro-Spray Car Wash, as well as installing a fence to prevent vagrants from reentering the area. Trees will also be planted at site, and the old storage sheds behind the creek have been coated with vibrant blue, yellow and purple paint. All supplies were donated by local businesses who support the project.

A red Jansport backpack volunteers pulled from the creek. By John Ross Ferrara.

Derek Bond, who owns a ministorage business in the neighborhood, said vagrants have been a recurring problem in the area.

“If there’s no presence, they’re here everyday,” Bond said. “One time I heard noise, so I came back here and a guy had dug out a hobbit hole in the grass and was living there.”

A mound of trash removed from Jolly Giant Creek. By John Ross Ferrara.

Volunteers also removed mounds of blackberry bushes that raked their hands and arms with long scabs.

The two-week cleanup is the neighborhood’s first trash-removal project, and the latest effort to rebrand the area around the old Creamery Building as an “arts district.” Louis Hoiland, secretary of the Creamery District, said the community hopes to rezone the area as an “opportunity zone” this summer, which will allow for more non-industrial, art-related businesses.

“The city has been very cooperative and were doing something positive for the community. They’ve been behind us 100 percent,” Hoiland said.

The City of Arcata has received increased pressure from local business owners this year to reduce the number of vagrants in the community, and specifically around the Plaza.

“This was probably one of the largest vagrant hangouts in Humboldt County,” Bond said. “And the biggest problem is that it’s so close to the plaza.”

Cleanup efforts took place today at Arcata’s Jolly Giant Creek behind the Hydro-Spray Car Wash By John Ross Ferrara.