If you visit Pinon Valley Park on Mule Deer Drive in northwest Colorado Springs and agree with me that it’s looking good, tell the neighbors. They’ll appreciate hearing that you admire their work.  

If you like the way the basketball court is free of weeds. Or that the volleyball pit is nicely maintained. Or that the picnic tables and benches look great with their fresh paint. Tell the neighbors.  

Maybe you used the portable toilet before running in the lush grass or tossed some trash in the can. Tell the neighbors.  

They paid for the bags in the trash cans. They collect the bags and pay for the trash to be collected. They pay for the toilet. And they pay for the grass to get extra seed, fertilizer and water.  

Here’s a look at the area from GoogleEarth:  

Several surrounding neighborhood groups have come together to preserve Pinon Valley Park until the city can resume its normal maintenance.  

And the person credited for rallying everyone is Jeanette Givens, seen in a photo by Julie Hutton.  

Jeanette Givens, president of the Pinon Valley Neighborhood Assocation, took a break during a neighborhood cleanup effort on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010.

 When Jeanette heard the news that trash cans were being removed from city parks due to budget cuts, she realized it would be a long, filthy summer at the busy little Pinon Valley Park, which sits on Mule Deer Drive at the base of Ute Valley Park.  

She called together the Pinon Valley Neighborhood Association to brainstorm ideas for the park. The association is an umbrella group for small neighborhood groups including the Green Valley Ranch, Pinon Ranch, Pinon Glen.  

The association called the Parks & Recreation Department and invited Kurt Schroeder to a meeting where he explained the dire financial situation. The neighborhood leaders decided drastic action was necessary and got busy.  

They raised money - $8,500 to date – and awareness by circulating fliers recruiting volunteers and donations.  

One group paid for trash bags and garbage pick-up. One paid for a portable toilet. Another for a large trash dumper. Money raised was used to pay for extra water, seed and fertilizer.  

Their efforts climaxed Saturday when dozens of neighbors showed up for a clean-up day. Folks cut trees, painted picnic tables and benches, weeded, worked on the basketball courts and volleyball pit.  

Here’s some more photos snapped by neighbor Julie Hutton at the event:  

Bart Givens lugs a trash bag at the neighborhood clean-up Aug. 14, 2010, at Pinon Valley Park.

Neighbor Tom Hutton pitched in at the Pinon Valley Park neighborhood cleanup on Aug. 14, 2010.

Neighbor Melissa Lyby had plenty of help pushing her wheelbarrow at the Pinon Valley Park neighborhood cleanup Aug. 14, 2010.

========================================================