TOLEDO, Ohio — Spring is officially in the air and city crews have already gotten to work on some spring cleaning.
This time of year is when city departments say the work really starts to ramp up.
The city of Toledo's Division of Road and Bridge Management used to be part of the city's Streets, Bridges and Harbor Department before it was split into two divisions. The other is the Urban Beatification department.
Jeremy Mikolajczyk said they already started sending out six crews and they will be doing nothing but hot-mix asphalt planting from now until those plants stay open.
"Last week we had about 156 requests," Mikolajczyk said. "Starting out this morning, we had 338."
The hot asphalt mixture is used during the warmer seasons versus the cold patches in the winter. Mikolajczyk said they have not seen as many potholes this year due to the warmer temperatures but said the wet weather still did not help the aging roads.
In a different division but under the same roof, the Urban Beautification department oversees the cleanup in the city through things like mowing, recycling and sweeping.
Commissioner Dennis Kennedy said the department's crews are already out, too, and it is not just about cleaning the neighborhoods.
"It directly impacts people's quality of life on where they live," Kennedy said. "It impacts children on how they feel safe when they walk to and from school and in their neighborhood."
This year, Urban Beautification is holding 26 recycling events throughout Toledo in the next seven months.
The Free Drop-off Refuse and Recycling events have already proven to be successful. Kennedy said thousands of materials were collected last year with around 11,400 people who came through.
The goal is to keep trash and materials in places it belongs, and not where it doesn't.
"Anything you think that can't be recycled, likely can be recycled," Kennedy said.
Both departments say the best way to get attention, no matter if it's a pothole on the road or a branch in the yard, is to contact Engage Toledo by calling 419-936-2020.