DeKalb County saves thousands of dollars each year through the Adopt-A-Highway program.

With the help of NIU students, DeKalb County residents and organizations, local highways are kept clean. The program helps the environment and saved the county $35,000 last year, said county engineer Bill Lawrence.

Every strip of adopted highway erects a sign displaying the logo or name of the organization that volunteered to clean the highway.

However, there are more than 100 miles of infrequently traveled rural highways that still need to be adopted, Lawrence said.

Wayne Davey, DeKalb’s Adopt-A-Highway program manager, said many organizations approach him to help, but because most of the available roads are either rural or high-traffic areas, it’s difficult to accommodate all requests. Also, many do not follow through on their interest.

“Once they find out most of the roads that are left are far away from [NIU], they kind of peter out in interest.” Davey said, about NIU organizations.

Eighty-four of the available 200 miles have been adopted by various groups.

Ken and Kathy Spears, of Ken Spears Construction, have participated in the program for the past six years.

“Originally, it was a way we could have company involvement and help in a public-service type of way,” Kathy Spears said.

The Spears maintain their 1 1/4 miles of road that passes Indian Creek High School and Shabbona Lake in teams of two or three, taking about three hours to do the job.

“When you look at the road afterward and the road is clean, that’s a good feeling,” Spears said.

Sponsors are required to undergo training by the department of transportation so participants involved take correct safety measures and comply with program rules during clean-ups.

Participants are asked to spruce up their area four times a year, including specific cleanings in April and October. Participants also are asked not to conduct pick-ups during the winter months because of safety concerns. Bags and orange vests are provided by the county for collection. Once the job is completed, the filled garbage bags are left on the side of the highway for county staff to pick up.

“[People] are very conscientious of their pick-ups, and they meet their schedule; they take a lot of pride in what they do,” Lawrence said.

The program is not limited to organizations, and many individual families volunteer time and effort as well.

“They just want to be out there helping the community and save taxpayers money,” Lawrence said.