The city of Boulder City maintains 92 miles of public roads – that includes both sides of the street and the medians as well. And, while the city’s streets and landscape crews do an exceptional job at maintenance and upkeep, the reality is that sometimes, it is hard to keep up that pristine appearance. Sadly, some people litter. Weeds grow quickly and wind can cause garbage and debris to fly away.
Community organizations, civic groups and individuals can now “Adopt-A-Streetscape” to beautify streets in the city. Working with the Department of Public Works, groups can apply for a permit to work on maintaining a streetscape four times a year at their convenience. This could be an opportunity for companies, social organizations, churches and others to accomplish worthwhile tasks that keep city streets looking great.
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has seen great success with their Adopt-A-Highway program for community groups and individuals volunteering to clean up highways over the past 35 years. The program allows a diverse group of organizations or companies to sign up for a specific roadway and maintain/enhance the highway at no cost to the group. More than 40 other states have similar programs, promoting civic responsibility and community spirit. Boulder City modeled its program to be similar to NDOT’s program.
“As someone who grew up in Boulder City, I know how much we take pride in mottos like ‘Clean, Green Boulder City’ and ‘Be Kind. Be Boulder’,” said Public Works Director Gary Poindexter. “We value hard work, volunteerism, and a clean community. My experience in the Public Works Department has taught me that people genuinely care about this great community, and our dedicated city employees do what they can to make our city approachable and welcoming.”
The city cited safety as a primary concern. Participants must be 18 years old or older, wear OSHA-approved reflective vests and stay a reasonable and safe distance from passing traffic at all times. The city will provide up to 20 reflective vests, bags for trash removal, and will send a crew to collect the trash bags when cleanup is complete or on the next business day.
For their efforts, the city will install signage celebrating the group or individuals on the streetscape. If you are interested in the Adopt-A-Streetscape program, visit www.bcnv.org/PublicWorks for the application and details.