SOUTHWEST LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A southwest Las Vegas resident is raising concerns about the condition of the landscaping at Lt. Erik Lloyd Memorial Park, saying dead plants and overgrown weeds have become an eyesore at the park named after a fallen Las Vegas Metro lieutenant.
Cynthia McGowan remembers when the park first opened.
"It was green... and now it's not," McGowan said.
WATCH | Residents raise concerns about Lt. Erik Lloyd Memorial Park landscaping
She says what was once vibrant desert landscaping has given way to brown plants and growing weeds.
"There is no watering going on... and why does it look dead?" McGowan said.
"If you're going to build a park, have a plan for maintenance," McGowan said.
"I stopped coming here, and when I came back... boom... I saw the difference," McGowan said.
McGowan is not the only one who has noticed. Thau Rongratna plays tennis at the park several times a week.
"Once," Rongratna said, when asked how often he sees maintenance workers there.
Rongratna agrees the landscaping has changed but says it has not kept him from using the park.
"I play at parks all over—Summerlin, Henderson—and I feel like a lot of them look like this," Rongratna said.
To determine whether the issue was unique to Lt. Erik Lloyd Memorial Park, I drove a few minutes away to Red Ridge Park, another Clark County park. Red Ridge Park has fewer landscaped areas, but overall, both parks appear to be maintained similarly. The biggest difference is the amount of desert landscaping, which makes dead plants and weeds stand out more at Lt. Erik Lloyd Memorial Park.
I reached out to Clark County to ask who is responsible for maintaining the landscaping, how often crews service the park, and whether the county is aware of residents' concerns. The county said it is working to get those answers, but had not responded by deadline.
McGowan says she will continue visiting the park but hopes the landscaping receives the attention she believes it deserves.
"It bothers me," McGowan said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.