In the Latvian city of Jēkabpils, there used to be a proper recreation ground where its locals could take a walk, have family outings with their kids, and so on. The place is located on the left bank of the Daugava, near a bridge. Just twenty years ago it was known for its white sandy beach, changing booths and even floating markers for increasing the safety of bathers.

However, Jēkabpils also risks high flood nearly every spring due to a seasonal inundation in the Daugava. For example, those living in the nearby Pļaviņu Street recall at least three very ominous spring flood situations in the 1980s and mid-90s. The river's waters went above the critical mark until the nearby homes, gardens, cellars and outhouses stood immersed in a big pool, with splashes reaching for the ground floor windows...

There exists a dyke, built to protect the town from the aquatic calamities but also walling off the local neighbourhoods from the Daugava's riverbank. After the appearance of the dyke, it was obviously less fun to go to the riverside because of the awkward need to climb up and down it. The promenade and beach gradually degraded, becoming overgrown with excess grass and some kind of wild shrubbery.

But then came a surprise. The dyke, when visited in 2008, looked very different from how it did several years ago. The first thing one notices is that, on its crest, there are now simple log benches, instantly evoking the possibility to sit there in the sunset and watch the river flow by. Down below beside the waterfront, the ugly shrubbery has vanished. In the dyke's slope, someone has built a stair and lined it with pieces of rock. By climbing it, you'll arrive in what looks like a little village or settlement of an ancient civilisation. Branches of shrubs have been utilised to make wicker fences and railings. Further, there's a well made of logs, a swing with bulky supports, birdhouses attached to tree-trunks, a children's playground and sandpit, a fireplace made of stones and a winding footpath paved with rocks and somehow reminding a playful little brook. The log benches have been lined up into two aisles, which prompts the idea of concerts or similar populous events taking place here. Thought this was it? In place of the uncivilised shrubbery, the ground has been strewn with inviting white sand and, look, there's a volleyball net!

"All of this was created by Pēteris Sprukts, of whom we're so proud," locals told us. It turns out that Mr Sprukts is well known not just among Jēkabpilians but also in the wider circles of those enthused about improving local outdoors. Fellow townspeople even nominated him for the year 2006 Latvian Pride award. Sprukts has been actively tidying up and redesigning urban outdoors for several years now, both by organising communal effort himself and by participating in other events organised by certain businesses. Far from a solitary altruist, he connects to like-minded partners and helpers everywhere.

The Daugava riverbank improvement project in Jēkabpils began in 2006. The activists started by removing trash and rocks that had been left there by the builders of the dyke and by chopping down the shrubbery. For eradicating the oversize grass, a mower was used to whose design Sprukts is said to hold a patent (and there are nearly 400 such machines already in operation in Latvia). They also did some digging work on the slope, put on turfs and near the bridge built an access, so that even people with prams could easily come down from the top of the dam and enjoy the riverside.

"During the preparations for the yearly Jēkabpils' town festival, I wrote to the mayor's office outlining my ideas about the possible ways of landscaping the riverbank. This is the prettiest part of our town after all! Here, the parade could march down Pļaviņu Street and along the Daugava," Sprukts explained. However, there were no reasonable counter-proposals from the officials, so a few months prior to the festival he set out to work on his own.

So, is there any vandalising? Sprukts unfortunately recalls a few incidents, such as when one night the stoutly built well was turned over and some sections of the wickerwork partitions were broken, supposedly by a group of yobs. The riverside spot has several litterbins, if anyone needs to get rid of trash or leftovers. Every morning, Pēteris does a round of the riverside to inspect and, if needed, restores its state of cleanliness.

One may wonder whether the Jēkabpils' riverside would be going to add new attractions in the future. Conversely, what if one day floodwaters destroy everything here or the mayor's office change their minds and start a different kind of improvements on the riverbank? "I did have an idea of how to breathe life into the brook for which there is already the rocky bed... I should put a motor [pump] in the Daugava. One could also extend here the system of streetlights so that the riverside is lit up. The place where the benches are would allow to put up a stage and organise concerts," Sprukts appears enterprisingly full of ideas. In the case of the Daugava inundating, it would not be detrimental to the site because all of the fixtures could either be temporarily brought out to protected areas or simply made again later. "This is where people come to relax and have fun, including families with small kids and young people. How could I stop maintaining it?"

Žagarciems is the name with which Sprukts refers to his "estate", a believable Latvian toponym meaning essentially "Twigville". Some may have questioned whether it fits in with the rest of Jēkabpils' urban design, but Pēteris Sprukts, the amateur landscaper, has shown how much can be done without investing thousands of lats—if only there's good will!

What matters is that the rural Latvian town now has an authentic recreation zone, located by the Daugava and inspiring its people by offering access to the natural beauty of the river. And it's probably the only one, even if within Jēkabpils and the Jēkabpils district, taken together, the Daugava runs 93 kilometres (58 miles) long.

Elita Cepurīte,

special correspondent for andrejsala.lv