Springing into action

link CMI staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Danny Lujan, Shane Cole, and Parks and Recreation Superintendent Dave Baker, from left, work on getting the fountain pump out of Greene Acres Park Lake on Friday morning. The fountain pump repairs is part of the department spring work assignments.

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It’s officially spring in eastern New Mexico, and local entities are taking to the streets and parks to do a little sprucing up to get ready for a successful summer season.

From manicuring green areas to clearing weeds, city crews in both Clovis and Portales are already hard at work maintaining city parks and other facilities.

According to Portales Public Works Director John DeSha, the city’s sanitation department has been picking up debris in alleyways in addition to the parks department performing ongoing maintenance.

Parks crews are also cleaning up city parks, bathrooms and sprinkler lines to make sure everything is running properly.

“We’re also working on trimming trees and the routine stuff,” DeSha said, “(to) find places where we need to put down fertilizer or take up grass.”

In addition, DeSha said crews are working on repairs to the city pool to make sure it is ready for the upcoming swim season.

“We have maintenance crews that do all the weed trimming and mowing the grass in the green areas,” said Clovis Parks and Recreation Director Bill Bizzell. “It’s ongoing.”

Bizzell said his crews are also trimming trees, fertilizing and making sure irrigation systems are fixed of leaks before the summer watering season rolls around.