Sunday, April 3rd turned out to be a beautiful day, and for Hanscom Park Renewal, it was also an exciting, fun, and successful day! Neighborhood volunteers from Field Club, Ford Birthsite, and Hanscom Park gathered at the Hanscom Park gazebo for our inaugural Park Clean-Up Day. Having not done this before (in recent memory), we didn't know if anyone would show up -- but they did! Roughly 35 people joined together to begin tackling the trash that had accumulated over the winter months. By the end, over 50 bags of trash had been collected by this awesome and determined volunteer army!
And, because of the enthusiasm displayed and success of this event, our newly formed HPR Park Maintenance and Clean-Up Team, led by Kathy Dworak, has decided to make this a recurring monthly event! Mark your calendars now for every first Sunday of the month! Volunteers will gather each month on the first Sunday, beginning at noon (but you can join the effort whenever your schedule permits) at the Hanscom Park gazebo where further instructions will be provided on where clean-up activities will take place for that day. The initial focus of the park clean-up efforts will remain on trash pick-up. However, as that issue fades, the focus will turn to other park "maintenance" issues such as raking excess pine needles, pulling weeds, mulching trees, etc.
So, you may be asking yourself: "Why doesn't the Parks Department do all this for us?" The answer is simple. Budget. Or, lack thereof, to be more precise. The Omaha Parks Department manages over 200 parks in our city. There simply isn't enough money in the city's budget to provide non-stop trash pick-up and other needed park maintenance tasks. So, if we want to keep our neighborhoods' crown jewel looking pristine and inviting to all, we're all going to have to pitch in to make that happen. We hope you'll consider getting outdoors with us from time-to-time and joining us for a great park and social activity! For more information about upcoming park clean-up and/or maintenance tasks, or to get involved with the planning of these events, please contact Kathy Dworak.
Here are some photos from our inaugural event:
And, because of the enthusiasm displayed and success of this event, our newly formed HPR Park Maintenance and Clean-Up Team, led by Kathy Dworak, has decided to make this a recurring monthly event! Mark your calendars now for every first Sunday of the month! Volunteers will gather each month on the first Sunday, beginning at noon (but you can join the effort whenever your schedule permits) at the Hanscom Park gazebo where further instructions will be provided on where clean-up activities will take place for that day. The initial focus of the park clean-up efforts will remain on trash pick-up. However, as that issue fades, the focus will turn to other park "maintenance" issues such as raking excess pine needles, pulling weeds, mulching trees, etc.
So, you may be asking yourself: "Why doesn't the Parks Department do all this for us?" The answer is simple. Budget. Or, lack thereof, to be more precise. The Omaha Parks Department manages over 200 parks in our city. There simply isn't enough money in the city's budget to provide non-stop trash pick-up and other needed park maintenance tasks. So, if we want to keep our neighborhoods' crown jewel looking pristine and inviting to all, we're all going to have to pitch in to make that happen. We hope you'll consider getting outdoors with us from time-to-time and joining us for a great park and social activity! For more information about upcoming park clean-up and/or maintenance tasks, or to get involved with the planning of these events, please contact Kathy Dworak.
Here are some photos from our inaugural event: