COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Faced with the prospect of unkempt parks, Colorado Springs residents have volunteered to clean the city’s parks and open spaces after officials cut trash removal services because of a budget shortfall.
The city removed 396 trash cans from 198 parks and open spaces in March and reduced two-thirds of park maintenance workers to deal with its budget problems. That has prompted volunteer groups to do the cleaning and restore some of the services themselves.
One group, called “Proud of Our Parks,” restored 151 of the trash cans in a deal with the city that called for volunteers to maintain the trash sites with the help of sponsoring disposal companies whose names are put on the trash receptacles.
But some volunteer groups say they don’t know how long they can keep doing the job that the city used to do.
“People are stepping up,” said Susan Davies, executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition, a nonprofit group working to maintain open spaces in the region. “But in the long run, can we volunteers take the place of city parks experienced workers? No.”
Kurt Schroeder, maintenance manager for the city’s park department, said he’s encouraged by people “willing to do a lot of the dirty work” but that it will be a challenge to keep them engaged.
“It’s a little harder to get people to commit to long-term responsibilities,” he said.
Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said last month in the State of the City address that a new trash and recycling program could start this fall to keep the city clean. The program would involve New Jersey-based Greener Corners, which would donate receptacles. Trash disposal would happen weekly and be paid for with advertising on the bins.
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Information from: The Gazette,
