AUBURN - Every morning when sunrise snaps a picture of downtown Auburn, what could develop are leftover signs of litter from the night before.

Not so, due to the resolute efforts of John Panko.

After 20 years of sitting behind a desk as a power train analyst for the warranty department of New Process Gear Chrysler Corporation in Syracuse, Panko had had enough. So he looked around for a job that would make him happy to get up in the morning. Helping Auburn look presentable was the one that clicked.

“People can throw out and litter some of the most disgusting things you can imagine. But the part I enjoy is the weeding, raking. It's kind of peaceful. In the summer, I usually start before the sun comes up. On a positive note, it's very satisfying: pruning, weeding and caring for the shrubs, especially on State Street,” said the BID (Business Improvement District) employee. “It's a wonderful way to start the day. It's tranquil and serene.”

The only cubicles Panko works within now are outlined by city streets: from Owasco and John Street down to the Cayuga County Office Building on Genesee Street; south to the very tip of Seward Park; on North Street to the end of Thompson County Bank.

The air he breaths doesn't blow from air conditioners or filters. Instead, it sometimes brushes the leaves of trees, shivers the shingles of some of the buildings, and makes butterflies sail or hold on tight. In the winter it can turn around and around like a crowbar and take a hat off just for fun. Panko doesn't mind.

Still, while strolling in the park, even on a sunny day - or down a city street - one should realize that it's not as easy as one might think.

“I remove any debris from the sewer grates to allow draining, to minimize puddle-jumping by the pedestrians,” Panko said. Keeping the Market Street park clean, sometimes means removing dead groundhogs, squirrels and birds - along with a lot of papers cups and plates. And,

while improving Auburn can entail tearing things down, the debris can cause danger, to a certain degree.

“If there's any construction work going on downtown, I have to pay a little more attention to the streets,” Panko said. “Stones falling off trucks or arterials can actually pose a traffic hazard.”

Some unsightly litter is intentional, some is not.

“During the summer, I'll go in real early Friday morning, and it's trash day,” Panko said. “You might have three or four juveniles causing havoc - I caught them ripping open trash bags. I would have had quite a mess in the morning, believe you me.”

Concerning crows: those were definitely not the good old days, according to Panko. They covered the trees near the Seward House like clouds, which in turn covered everything else.

“Five to seven o'clock in the morning, that's when they were worst,” he said. “It got to the point where the droppings were actually inches on the sidewalks. And the smell. It was not something you'd want visitors to the Seward House (to see).”

“They were just filling the trees,” he added. “When I say hundreds, it was probably a thousand. On a good, cold day there was probably thousands roosting. It was just phenomenal. That was probably the worst part of my job.”

This past year was much better, according to Panko. Unlike the previous two years, when he first started working for BID, he did not need to do any power washing. Other outdoor friends have been easier to contend with, to help find a home.

“Dogs get lost, and twice I got to reunite the owners with their lost dogs, with the help of the parking garage,” he said. Panko and the city employees took the information from the tags the dogs that were following him were wearing and processed it at city hall.

Panko supplies directions to motorists who stop and ask directions, as well. However, not every driver treats him, or the city of Auburn, with respect.

“If I have a pet peeve, it's people that come from out of town and dump their trash right on Genesee Street,” he said.

“We do try to police the trash. And we have sent out letters letting them know we know what they're doing, and it doesn't happen again.”

During the winter Panko can be seen shoveling or snow blowing the white stuff from downtown store fronts and walks.

“In the winter, my priorities are to clear the snow from the crosswalks. It's called a kick-out,” he explained.

He also maintains slippery free sidewalks by keeping calcium chloride, when needed, spread around.

City supplied gloves, overalls and Carharts, not to mention a truck with a hefty heater, help keep him warm.

In the summer, he often rides in style via a city supplied golf cart.

Business owners and employees consistently help and encourage the man they know who is behind the scene, because they all know that a picture is within a thousand words.