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Maplewood Beautification Project
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Volunteer gardens are growing by leaps and bounds in the municipalities in St. Louis County. Kirkwood In Bloom, Olivette In Bloom and University City in Bloom are all successful volunteer gardens.
This past February Ron Suchanek of MCBF along with John Openlander, Bettye Woolsey, Cheryl Robinson and Debbie Tolstoi met with Lou D'Agrosa, owner of Garden Heights Nursery and Bill Ruppert, founder of Kirkwood in Bloom to discuss the possibilities and realities of beautifying Maplewood. It was agreed upon that it is time to beautify Maplewood!
The purpose of this project is to encourage residents and businesses to work together as volunteers to beautify the city of Maplewood, to stimulate economic growth and development by attracting quality businesses and residents, instilling community pride and continuing the growth of the city.
Fact: People will tend to shop first at a business that has flowers/landscaping in front, even if the business next to it is a similar business! Consider planting colorful containers in front of your business! Curb appeal is a great marketing tool!
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| The areas of focus: |
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Creation of flower gardens. This years project is underway at the park area at Bellevue and Manchester. Volunteers have created two beds which are ready to plant. The Richmond Heights Garden Club has made a donation of $500 towards this project. The funds are being used to purchase plant materials and soil amendments. Mark's Magic, a Maplewood Business has donated a large truck load of compost for the garden. |
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Existing containers for the Special Business District have been planted with new plant material and have been placed on street corners. The flowers selected for the containers will have a greater curb appeal than previous plantings. |
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Clean up and beautify areas in the City of Maplewood. |
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Possible brush honeysuckle eradication project with middle and high school student volunteers. |
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Create a cohesive look on the Big Bend corridor from Clayton Road to Manchester. Containers will be purchased to match the containers that Richmond Heights have purchased this year. (2009 Season) |
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Creation of community vegetable gardens, utilizing vacant city owned lots. (2009 season) |
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View of the park before creation of beds.
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Area residents and small business owners spent two Saturday mornings stripping grass, tilling beds and adding top soil and compost to the two beds at the park at the corner of Bellevue and Manchester.
The next step will be the plantings. Many of the plants have been donated from the volunteer's own gardens.
The garden beds will be planted this May if the rain holds off long enough!
Thank you to Mark Goeringer of Mark's Magic for the donation of a large truck load of compost for the garden beds. Mark's Magic sells soil amendments wholesale here in Maplewood. They are located just north of the railroad tracks at Sutton.
Volunteers at the park include: Mike Fortman, resident and owner of Pride Mortgage; residents Steve Sternberg, Dorothy Lucey, Alice Fenwick, Belle Wion, Anen Marie Bailey; Mary Kausch, resident and owner of HR Etc.; Cheryl Robinson and Debbie Tolstoi are the project coordinators.
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As Maplewood continues to grow, so does the need to beautify our city.
Please consider joining the volunteers of the Maplewood Beautification Project!
Cheryl and Debbie will be happy to talk with you about how you can help!
By helping us, you will be helping grow your city and your business!
Please email Debbie at dtolstoi@tolstoidesigns.com for more information
or call 314-644-1707.
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