With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, the City of Amarillo (COA) is addressing mowing issues in city parks with an immediate response to maintain city property and in the best interests of residents who enjoy the parks.
“The city recognizes that the condition of some parks, including the mowing of grass areas in the parks, has not met the expectations of our residents during this growing season,” said COA Director of Parks and Recreation (PARD) Michael Kashuba. “We have heard the concerns shared by park users and neighbors, and we agree that our parks should reflect the level of care our community expects.”
In order to maintain this commitment to the community, the city has terminated a mowing contract with a private contractor due to the failure of required performance standards and maintenance schedules. In addition, the city is using temporary contracted mowing services and PARD staff to assist with mowing services (including after hours) across the city park system.
The temporary mowing agreement helps protect city property and maintain essential public services.
City council will consider a new short-term contract that will last through the end of the current mowing season at its July 14 meeting.
“It will take time to work through the current mowing backlog, and we appreciate the patience of the public as we deploy both private mowing services and PARD staff to perform mowing across the park system as quickly and feasibly as possible,” Kashuba said.
Residents should expect to see increased mowing activity over the coming days and into the holiday weekend.