Bloomington spruces up streets, parks for spring

The flowers have been ordered, potholes have been filled and street sweeper engines are already humming.\nAs winter gradually turns into spring and more and more people start to head outdoors, Bloomington and local businesses are preparing to clean up the mess of winter and spruce up the city for spring. Though the weather is not warm enough to start all projects, the spruce-up effort is already well underway. \n"Winter takes a toll on everyone," said Julio Alonso, director of Bloomington public works. "It's nice to be able to get out there and get things cleaned up." \nAlonso said street sweepers are already working to pick up the sand and debris from winter. Unlike salt, which is also used on icy roads in wintertime, sand does not dissolve, leaving roads hazardous for pedestrians and bikers. With five sweepers currently in operation, Alonso said it takes about nine weeks to completely sweep the entire city. Crews are more than halfway through the route. \nStreet crews have also begun patching potholes. Alonso said 4,652 potholes have been patched so far this year. Once the asphalt plant re-opens for the spring, the annual paving schedule can commence. Each year, 15 to 20 miles of streets are repaved.\nClearing waste is also a priority for the city during spring cleaning. The annual spring cleanup will be held May 6 through 23, when many students move out of their residences. During these three weeks, large item pickup will be free. Usually, large-items require two $1 trash stickers in order to be picked up.\n"Bloomington is such a transient community, it creates a lot of trash," Alonso said. "We want to make sure the city stays clean as so many people are moving in and out." \nLandscaping is also an important part of sprucing up for spring. Jay Davidson, city landscaper and sexton, said additional cleanup will take place within the next few weeks, including cutting down old grass, getting rid of dead plants, raking leaves and adding mulch where needed.\n"It's a freshen-up for spring," Davidson said.\nDavidson said he is currently waiting for all of the flower bulbs to bloom. Last year, the city spent $4,000 on new bulbs, which were added to what had already been planted around town.\n"Every year there seems to be something new in Bloomington," Davidson said. "But just about every place the city has landscaping is packed with bulbs."\nDavidson is responsible for taking care of 67 locations around town. This year Peoples Park, Cascade Golf Course and College Mall Road were all new additions to the current flower-planting locations. Davidson said 15,000 tulips were planted at College Mall Road this year. \nFive-thousand dollars worth of annual flowers will arrive May 11 to be planted in various flower pots around town, used mostly for their vibrant color. Davidson said he tries to come up with a little bit of color variance every year.\n"I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, but this year I'm trying to do a red, white and blue theme," Davison said. "It's kind of patriotic for an election year." \nAndy Walter, manager of Tracks, a record store on Kirkwood Avenue, said there are flowers growing in concrete blocks outside of his store. Walters said he has seen an increase in the amount of foot traffic on Kirkwood as a result of the warming weather. When it gets really nice outside, Walters said Tracks puts over 12,000 CDs outside of its store and plays music outside. Walters expects this to begin soon. \nAlonso said the purpose of all the cleaning and beautifying is to maintain a high quality of life for residents.\n"We're very proud of the way the city looks."\n-- Contact staff writer Hannah Schroder at hschrode@indiana.edu.