Playground getting cleaned for balloon fest

Colorful balloons taking off into the Yuma skies this weekend is one of the reasons the Stewart Vincent Wolfe Creative Playground will be closed most of Thursday, according to city officials.

City spokesman Dave Nash said balloons at the 18th annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival will be launching from there on both Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7:15, so the city wants to give the park a good cleaning before the event.

"Very large crowds are expected," Nash said.

City park maintenance workers will be cleaning the park and doing safety inspections of the playground equipment, which is located in West Wetlands Park at 12th Avenue north of 1st Street.

Work will take place from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

"Hopefully it will be open in time for parents to take their children there after school," Nash added.

Nash said maintenance workers will be power spraying off the playground equipment, which is located near the pond, and protective ground cover, which is known as Pebble Flex, with a pressure sprayer.

"We had earlier than usual heavy winds this year and that has caused a lot of dust, more than usual."

Nash said city park workers can normally do maintenance on parks without having to close them, but the city wanted to play it safe since a pressure washer is being used.

" Closing the park prevents any public safety hazard. There will be some wet surfaces and equipment and we don't want anyone injured due to slippery surfaces."

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.