Volunteers bring new life to Columbia park

One Columbia park is looking as good as new. City of Columbia employees and volunteers rolled up their sleeves to improve the appearance of the Indian Hills park.

It’s part of Columbia’s “Operation Clean Streets” program. The volunteers started out Friday morning at 8:30.

They picked up trash, repainted bathrooms, cleaned sidewalks and cleared overgrown vegetation.

Tom Powderly lives in the area and said he’s happy to see it.

“It’s maybe not the best area. I think changers are happening. Positive changes are happening. I hope they continue to happen,” said Powderly.

City administrators picked three areas of the city. They considered economic and social indicators as well as public safety.

Cleaning up the Indian Hills park is part of Columbia’s 2016/2019 strategic plan, which stresses social equity. “Operation Clean Streets” is meant to improve the neighborhoods and the lives of the area’s residents.

“If we can clean up these areas and everyone can take ownership of the city that they live in — that’s really the point,” said Tyler Wallace with Columbia Public Works.