The city’s Parks Department, which took a major hit in the 2010 budget, has started to remove about 400 trash cans from 128 neighborhood parks and urban trails as a cost-cutting measure.
As a result, parks officials are asking the public be good stewards of the city’s parks and dispose of their trash elsewhere.
“Certainly, we’re hopeful that everyone will pitch in and help,” Kurt Schroeder, the city’s Parks, Trails and Open Space manager, said today.
But “it could happen that people won’t heed that request and trash will build up, trash won’t be taken home,” he said.
This year, the city cut the parks maintenance budget by more than $3.8 million and eliminated 27 parks maintenance positions
Schroeder said the remaining 11 parks maintenance workers don’t have the time to pick up trash.
“It’s going to be difficult enough for those folks to try to mow their parks on a biweekly basis…They’re doing anything and everything out there,” he said.
“We could spend (about 12 percent) of our time collecting trash, and we just don’t have that luxury any longer,” he added.
The city will still keep trash cans at sports complexes, community parks, regional parks and special event venues.
The only neighborhood park that will continue to have trash cans is the Nancy Lewis Park, named after the former parks director.
Schroeder said philanthropist Lyda Hill donated about $47,000 this year to maintain the entire park.
“She’s philanthropic, and this is one park she has an interest in, so she’s providing money for us to maintain it,” he said. “She has for a couple of years.”
Residents can also help out by adopting a park or trail.
For more information, visit http://www.springsgov.com/, or call 385-6519 or e-mail cityparkvol@springsgov.com.
So the rich can donate money and keep their special park running as usual. Just let the poor people’s parks fill with trash. Doesn’t seem right that one public park gets special treatment at the exclusion of all the others.
Oh wonderful, Parks will become trashy places to visit! Lovely Colorado Springs. Maybe our kind convicted criminals can step up with community service and leave orange bags at parks. I fingure that wont happen becasue we cant afford trashbags either. Now is the time for Jan Martin to step up and pick up the trash!
WhyNot … Typical its not my house that gets the robocalls from Washington D.C. Prostitutes in Congress like Lamborn, its the rich business owners. So sure they should get a little more loving and we should not vote them back in office!
but they can afford to pay the usoc millions. waaaaaa city. you stink city government.. we hate you and will never trust you.
I say anyone who voted against 2c should be the ones picking up trash in the parks. Really people, there is a place for government in our lives and this is a perfect example.
We have a beautiful city and wonderful parks. These things we take pride in will slowly become run down. It was easy for you to vote down 2c when you didn’t see the effects first hand. Well now you are starting to see the effects and there will be many more to come. Wait till this summer when the parks are full of trash and there is dog poop everywhere because no one wants to carry it home or drive home with it.
It’s one thing to be against government waste it is an entirely other thing to be completely against government and not realize how important our institutions to our everyday way of life. Next year are we going to discontinue snow plows? water treatment? sewage? street lights?
Jim,
How do you know what the city would have used the tax money from 2c for? They didn’t spell anything out and 2c failed because of that. The voters are finally seeing that this city council is corrupt and needs the boot. Until the city council is honest with the taxpayers, they won’t see any increased taxes. Oh and by the way the city is already turning off many street lights. I do agree with you on the against government waste, and that is what this city council has done.
Another example of our elected representatives taking away City services to punish voters for voting against 2C… instead of shrinking the government payroll, they will stick it to voters… YIKES!
How about a solution not creating a disgusting problem. How about emptying the trash half as often. The cans may get a little overfilled but at least most of the trash will still be picked up. This decision would seem to be a personal attack on the the taxpayer for not voting for more taxes when the city council is wasting it. Thanks Kurt Schroeder for creating more divisiveness.
Dear readers,
I just posted a new blog entry. The city’s decision to remove the trash cans from the parks was part of a story Monday night on ABC News.
You can watch the video by clicking on the following link:
http://citydesk.freedomblogging.com/2010/02/02/colorado-springs-earns-dubious-distinction-from-abc-news/1547/
Daniel Chacon
City Hall reporter