Health & Fitness
The Buzz on Beautification
A brief history of Harrison's Beautification and what has been done this spring. Plans are in place for Halstead and Harrison Avenues for this summer.
Welcome to the Harrison Beautification Blog! This is a first for me…should be informative and fun!
A bit of history:
I guess my first foray into beautification was back in 1989. I had a store in West Harrison that looked out at the Village Green, a lovely area of beautiful trees and grass. The two block strip of business in what is still referred to as Silver Lake faces the green, or, the parking lot. It was always busy and always drab: so, one spring day, I decided to plant flowers in front of my store. I purchased a flat of pink impatiens, planted them around the base of the tree right in front of the store, and the rest is history.
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I joined the Beautification Committee in 1990. We had a good committee, but, after several years, people stopped going to meetings. The administration changed and the committees were no longer meeting. This committee was reinstated in 1998 after Hon. Ronald B. Bianchi was elected mayor.
We had a small group of very dedicated volunteers. We started to plant gardens in West Harrison and downtown. We implemented the Park Bench Sponsorship Program, Adopt a Plot Program and we selected the design of the metal exterior waste receptacles you see around town.
Find out what's happening in Harrisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In 2000, we decided to form a foundation where we would have better control of financing and accomplishing our goals: hence, the Harrison Beautification Foundation, Inc. was founded. The HBF, Inc.’s purpose is to support beautification efforts for Harrison through fundraising. The street clocks you see on Halstead Avenue (2006), and at the Lake Street Triangle (2009), were gifted to the town by the HBF, Inc. This year, as well as the last two years, the foundation has paid for the flowers you see in our gardens. It also covers the summer weekend expense of watering the planted gardens.
Currently:
The Harrison Beautification Committee (HBC) opened the 2011 season with a whirlwind of planting in West Harrison and downtown. We added beautiful annual plants to the existing perennial gardens. There is still planting that needs to be done: unfortunately, the rains came and interfered with our schedule. At this point we will be planting perennials, as needed.
The HBC was given permission to place four planters on the four corners at Harrison and Halstead Avenues. They look beautiful already; full of color with a lovely variety that will bloom and be beautiful through autumn. We are working on a plan for the downtown area along Halstead and Harrison Avenues. This will certainly give the area a boost.
There is a small, perennial daisy garden on Halstead Avenue that was planted in 2001. Our plan was to develop the garden so the entire area had perennial flowers that bloomed all season long. However, due to the fact that there is a Metro North project in the works, we have held back from any permanent planting. Our plan this year is to add annual color to this garden which will bring a bright palette of color to that part of Halstead Avenue.
I must mention that the Harrison Beautification Committee has had tremendous support from each administration it has worked with. Mayor Ron Bianchi, Mayor Steve Malfitano and Mayor Joan Walsh supported all of our efforts. They always have our back. The Department of Public Works has been very accommodating. Commissioner Tony Robinson and the men who help us are wonderful to work with. They work hard and take pride in what they do and they do a great job!
In closing, I would like to share the Mother’s Day card I received from my nephew Robert and his wife Katie. It is a beautiful hand embellished watercolor of vases filled with all types of flowers. The inscription reads: “Where flowers bloom, so does happiness”.
The HBC is always looking for volunteers to help with planting during the spring and fall seasons. If you are interested in doing so, please email me at cdd227@aol.com.
I welcome any ideas you have concerning the beautification of Harrison.