Parks crew heeds the call to clean up walkway

The Blytheville Parks and Recreation Department pressure washed the walkway around the Walker Park pond on Wednesday afternoon.

The city has received criticism over the geese feces that covers the sidewalk.

On Wednesday, Blytheville Waterworks installed a spigot near the pond, and the parks crew hooked up a pressure washer to clean up the area.

The Blytheville Fire Department had been spraying off the walkway with its pumper truck, though some feel that could create a safety concern if there is a fire while they are washing off the sidewalk.

"We're cleaning off the sidewalk to make it safe for our youth and for our general public," Brown said. "With the help of our fire department and Waterworks, we plan on coming up with a solution where we can keep our sidewalks clean. This is something we've been working on and we're finally coming up with solution. We look for better ways to even improve this. This is a start."

Brown is considering using multiple power washers and installing more spigots near the pond.

"This is the beginning," Brown said. "We plan on keeping this area washed off. But this is a solution that we've been working on for a while."

He added the city may close off the park entrance while washing the walkway, to prevent motorists from driving over the water hose.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to keep the sidewalk in shape," Brown said. "This is not a problem that just started today. It's been going on for years."