Historical June 1998 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The Beautification Committee of Skinker DeBaliviere would like to thank the many neighbors who helped out with our Blitz Day ’98 special projects.
We had a very successful Blitz Day this year.
A small army..of neighbors descended on the Four Corners area for a very impressive clean-up. Gwen Lazard, Evelyn Sparkman, Loren Genks, Jim Hatch, and others pulled up piles upon piles of weeds from the seams in the pavement around the concrete planters. Ralph Huber, Richard Lowenstein, and Chris Moritz shoveled up about one half tone of leaves, dirt, and debris from the parking area in front of the SDCC office on Kingsbury, a spot that has been in need of attention for some time now. Becky Homan brought flowers which she planted in the concrete planters along with other plants provided by Gateway Greening.
In a combined effort, neighbors planted well over one hundred plants from their “Great Perennial Divide.” Our planters looked good at the start of Blitz Day, because many plants had survived from last year.
Now they look fantastic! Help us keep these plants looking great by volunteering to water them for a week.
A sign-up sheet is at the SDCC office. Plants need to be watered about three times per week, a total commitment of one and one half hours per week. Other volunteers at Four Corners provided food and drinks for those cleaning up and planting. Theresa King provided all-around support throughout the day. Block captains picked up their flower orders from Operation BrightSide. Grass seed disappeared quickly this year. SDCC staff and other volunteers helped with these tasks. Former neighbor Mark Abbott provided us with seed packets from the “America the Beautiful Fund,” that included one thousand packets of flower, vegetable, and herb seeds. Emily Cross helped distribute these seeds to neighbors. Operation BrightSide provided us with a dump truck load of mulch that was quickly diminished to a very small pile by the end of the day. Neighbors hauled off wheelbarrows full of the stuff. Truck loads of mulch were put in area pocket parks. Angela Roberson directed a good portion of mulch to the southwest corner of Kingsbury and DesPeres where the trees were mulched, bales of tall weeds were removed, and she and Chris Moritz cut down a few dead trees and removed some weed trees.
The Parks Department is restoring the retaining wall now. Mary Ann Rudloff assisted in restoring the brick circle planter at the Pershing/DesPeres pocket park. More “Great Perennial Divide” and Opera tion BrightSide plants were planted there. Juan and Kiki Chavez planted a large number of “Great Perennial Divide” plants at the garden they maintain at Washington and DesPeres.
They have made a very attractive garden there.
The Beautification Committee also planted a fifteen by twenty-five foot section of day lilies on a slope at the light rail right-ofway by the Hamilton II school building.
These day lilies came from the “Great Perennial Divide.” Thanks again to the forty-plus volunteers who helped these neighbors in their efforts at Four Corners and our pocket parks. Thanks also to the block captains for distributing flowers, trash bags, and for their efforts to clean up their own blocks. Special thanks to Mary Lou Green, Operation BrightSide director, and the staff of Gateway Greening and their “Great Perennial Divide” from the Beautification Committee and the SDCC.
Original photograph caption
Faith Sandler assists Claire and Peter with purple aster,provided from the Great Perennial Divide. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, June 1998.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1998_06.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 5; PDF page(s) 1, 5.
