Efforts aimed at cleaning up neglected landscaping in the downtown area got underway this week with Public Works Department crews cleaning out abandoned flower beds and trimming unsightly trees.
Earlier this month, the City Council approved a plan to fund landscaping in the Second Street and Dewey Avenue area, for which the funding was previously identified, and for the City of Bartlesville to provide ongoing downtown landscape maintenance.
Maintenance began this week with crews addressing the more immediate problems, Public Works Director Keith Henry said Tuesday.
“We have started trimming trees and cleaning up flowerbeds that are trashy, overgrown or haven’t been maintained,” Henry said. “Staff has been instructed to make contact with the property owner or tenant in cases where the beds are questionable. But if it’s obvious that no effort has been made to care for these beds, we are cleaning them up and replacing the weeds and trash with mulch.”
Henry said some of the beds are hard to get to because of tree overgrowth, but all efforts are being made to mitigate the problem.
“Some of these beds cannot be completely stripped because the trees are so large that the root systems interfere, but we’ll do our best to make them look presentable,” he said.
Henry said City staff will not be working on the beds near Second and Dewey due to the upcoming landscape project planned for that area.
The work comes after the Downtown Landscape Task Force made recommendations to the City Council during a meeting on May 15 to require the City of Bartlesville to fund or provide maintenance for the downtown area. Following discussion, the council voted 5-0 to approve the measure, instructing the city manager to begin the process of cleaning up the landscaping downtown.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 918-338-4131.