“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

This old mail courier motto has a resounding familiarity to the vigor and tenacity of the men and women who make up the Downtown Lincoln Association’s maintenance crew. Donning bright yellow safety vests and blue hats, the crew battles the deplorably abysmal Nebraska summers and the vilely fierce Nebraska winters so that they can deliver the downtown Lincoln community a cleaner, safer and more beautiful place to live, learn, work, invest and play.

“This is one of the best educated, hardest working group of individuals I’ve worked with over my long career as a horticultural manager,” DLA Maintenance Director George Pinkerton says. “Through their award winning efforts, DLA has improved its maintenance efforts and its dedication to a greener and cleaner Downtown Lincoln.”

DLA’s maintenance crew, which was awarded a first place national award from Keep America Beautiful (KAB) late last year for their efforts in waste reduction and recycling, is responsible for a variety of cleaning and beautification services to help keep downtown Lincoln a lively and auspicious place to be.

Some of the maintenance crew’s responsibilities include daily litter and garbage removal, collecting and sorting recyclables, sweeping and cleaning sidewalks, removing graffiti and sidewalk messes, installing and repairing street furniture and putting up pole banners and holiday decorations.

The maintenance crew consists of four full-time workers, five part-time workers, seven Community Alternatives of Nebraska (CAN) workers, two supervisors and one AmeriCorp worker.

The CAN crew is made up of individuals with developmental disabilities who have been assisting with recycling and waste management efforts in downtown Lincoln alongside DLA’s maintenance workers since 1999.

After winning the Keep America Beautiful Award last year, Janna Harsch, one of the CAN Crew Leaders and supervisors, said she was proud that her crew received the recognition for their part in keeping downtown Lincoln beautiful.

“It brings about the idea that everybody can contribute and is invaluable, and I think the long-term relationship we’ve had speaks for itself. It’s just great; there’s not a week that goes by that we’re not thanked by someone in the downtown community.

Pinkerton says the positive feedback from passersby is always uplifting.

“Generally when we are working in an area, people will stop and compliment our efforts. We also receive input from the DLA web site, letters and e-mails.”

Linda Anders, who works in the Federal Building on Centennial Mall and O Streets, sent one such email.

“I’ve noticed that the flowers around our building and others downtown are really beautiful this year,” she says. “The flower colors are really bright and cheerful in the planters I pass on my walk to the parking garage across the street. The plants chosen stand up to the heat better than I do!”

This summer, the crew has been busy with designing and installing new planting beds, weed control, watering and fertilizing plant material, assisting with downtown events, planting and maintaining woody plant material and removing cigarette debris.

The landscape beds speckled throughout downtown Lincoln consist of prairie perennials and various species of trees and shrubs that are all native to prairies, and thus, can easily adapt to and stand amidst the hot and humid summer temperatures with little watering and low maintenance.

Those who visit downtown may notice a number of large landscape bowls located in several prominent spots that are filled with vibrant annuals like the Coleus, Supertunias (petunias), annual grasses, sweet potato vines and an amalgam of others.

In the Haymarket, Pinkerton says they’ve installed a short-grass prairie mix on two sides of the Lumber Works Parking Lot located on 7th and O Streets. He says it’s turned out to be a colorful mixture of grasses and annual/perennial flowers.

During the fall and winter, Pinkerton and his crew are responsible for fall debris removal, snow and ice removal, tree pruning, machinery maintenance and installing the Christmas decorations and lights that bedazzle and illuminate downtown Lincoln during the holiday season.

Covering 205 block faces of downtown Lincoln from roughly 7th to 17th Streets and M to Q Streets, the DLA maintenance crew works day in and day out to keep the heart of our city beautiful. With the help of these diligent and dedicated individuals, the downtown Lincoln populace can take great pride in a place that reflects the hardworking nature of our community.
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• For more information about the DLA maintenance crew, click here.
• For a list of “Who do I call?” downtown telephone numbers, click here.