City officials in Albuquerque have come to the conclusion that cleanup at Coronado Park could cost up to $700,000 per year, a KOB 4 news report said this week.
“My gut feeling was, hey, we are spending way too much money in one location just to move them out during the day while they clean up then they all move back then they have to clean up the other lot they moved into next door,” Randy Baker, owner of Rio Bravo Brewing Company, told KOB 4.
The rampant cleanup costs are partly due to the rampant homeless population at the park, the report said. The City pays to clean the park every other Wednesday but is considering increasing the frequency due to how quickly the park is becoming dirtier.
Every other week, seven departments come together to clean up the park: Community Safety, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, Municipal Development, Police, Fire, and Family and Community Services. The City's weekly cost for the cleanup is $27,154.
Residents around the park are disgruntled with what is happening in the park, and many believe the City is not doing enough to stop the homeless population from living in the park, the report said. There is also a concern among business owners like Baker that the increased homeless population is driving away customers from local businesses in the area.