A small army from the City of Leesburg Public Works and Environmental Services departments converged on Venetian Gardens Thursday morning to help spruce up the scenic park.

Crews of 65 total people spread out across the 65-acre site on Lake Harris with chainsaws, rakes, grass trimmers and a fleet of machines. They removed overgrown tree limbs, trimmed bushes, cut grass, removed litter and repaired some facilities. Large machines hauled away branches and loaded them into dumpsters for removal from the park.

 

The improvement project is coordinated each year to help supplement the Leesburg Parks and Recreation Department’s regular maintenance of Venetian Gardens. 

 

“We’re all a big family at the city,” said city street maintenance supervisor Mark Robinson. “When part of your family needs help, we all chip in to provide help.”

 

Tree trimmings and other landscape debris were hauled away to Leesburg’s former landfill site on Neely Drive, where it will be ground up and recycled into mulch.

 

Several days prior to Thursday’s clean-up, city workers removed tons of muck and dead plant matter that had accumulated over years along the bottom of Venetian Gardens’ canals. That material was taken to a large city property on County Road 470, where it can dry out and decompose. 
  

Venetian Gardens is located at 201 E. Dixie Ave. along the scenic north shore of Lake Harris in Leesburg. Originally created in the 1930s, the historic park features a swimming pool, a large community building, boat ramp, marina and seven beautifully landscaped islands separated by tranquil, meandering canals. Pat Thomas Stadium includes a baseball field and seating for 1,500 people.