With winter weather putting street work on hold, City of Holbrook crews have been busy working on other projects, including abating two buildings, constructing a micro-park and the Little League concession stand, repairs at the golf course and patching potholes.

City Manager Ray Alley reported that staff completed abatement of an old abandoned mobile home located just north of city hall. He worked with city council members and the property owner to obtain the property, and to eliminate the legal fees that would have been associated with condemning and abating the trailer. Instead, city workers removed the trailer immediately, eliminating the safety hazard it created and improving the appearance of the neighborhood.

Alley plans to start work soon on a micro-park at the site of the abated trailer. He explained that it will be similar to the area near the city gym and will be low-maintenance. He plans to use granite and xeriscape plants to create an inviting space that requires very little staff time.

Lead from the small city-owned building by the cemetery has also been abated, and Alley explained that crews have already started tearing down the building. Removing the building is a necessary step in the planned cemetery expansion. According to Alley, extending the cemetery wall is the next major project that city staff will undertake and he hopes to begin in the next week or two.

The new Little League concession stand is nearly complete. Alley noted that, as of Monday morning, all that remained was to install some plumbing and handrails.

“I want to get that done this week and get out of there so we can start on other things,” he said.

The concession stand is one of the final improvements to Barrow Field. The dugouts and field have already been rehabilitated, and Alley plans to use millings given to the city by the county to pave the nearby parking lot.

Some of those millings are also being used to improve the golf course. They are being used to patch and smooth the golf cart path throughout the course, which has become rutted and rough due to weather and regular use.

Alley noted that city staff members have also been busy patching potholes throughout the city. Although concrete work and other road repairs have come to a temporary halt due to low temperatures, he explained that patching work can continue and road crews are using this time to patch as many potholes as possible before regular roadwork starts up again in the early spring.