PHOENIX — A group of trail enthusiasts is taking action at Papago Park, one of Phoenix's points of pride near Priest Drive and Van Buren Street.
It's been described as a jewel in the desert and is located where Tempe, Scottsdale, and Phoenix meet. But on the Phoenix side, advocates say work needs to be done to keep it maintained. In fact, Papago Park was once a national monument but because of deterioration, that designation was abolished in the 1930s.
"We're not treating these parks as we should. They're literally gifts. They're jewels to our community," Jes Dobbs, who created Camelback Culture and is a board member for the nonprofit Clean Up Papago, said. "They're life-savers. It's people's solace. It's their refuge. It's their therapy."
Kelli Cholieu, the founder of Clean Up Papago, agrees.
"We should take care of our parks. We should take care of our preserves. I don't think people realize how lucky we are to have those. It doesn't matter what income stream you come from. You can enjoy it for free," she said.
A group of advocates recently filed a complaint with the City of Phoenix when they noticed a couple of areas of the park were going without maintenance. That included tall invasive plants, known as reeds, believed to be a fire hazard in the lagoon, and unreadable, worn-out signage.
ABC15 asked the City of Phoenix about their concerns.
A spokesperson said signs will be fixed by early next year, but removing the reeds could take longer. City documentation shows a contractor is expected to be on board by the end of the year with the project expected to be completed by the summer of 2024.
Both hikers are also asking for more resources to go into cleaning up the park itself and have concerns over how much money has gone into other projects — and not Papago. Cholieu and Dobbs say they often spend their weekends picking up pounds of trash with other volunteers.
"We never clean up less than 500 pounds," said Cholieu.
When ABC15 asked if more money and resources will go into cleaning up Papago, a spokesperson said, "Trash cleanup and maintenance of Papago Park happens on a regular basis by Parks staff."
Dobbs and Cholieu say they will continue to ask for more resources, but in the meantime, do what they can to maintain Papago.
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease and we've got to go squeak a lot when we see things like this going on," Dobbs said. "I know neighborhood parks are really important, but this affects thousands of people. There are so many visitors."
