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First, I would like to thank everyone who worked for me at the Fall Festival.
I didn’t have a worry. Everyone came and right on time. It was a pleasure
working with such dedicated volunteers.
Howell Wetland Outdoor Education Center: Lauren Preske is now the manager of the
Howell Wetlands facility. She tells Westside Improvement that her grant
application to the Evansville Endowment Fund Grant of $10,000 for improvements
to the wetland park was not approved . Lauren now plans to apply to the
Vanderburgh Community Foundation for the same amount.
Lauren is looking for people to help with programs and maintenance of the
facility. If any of you reading this think you might like to volunteer for a fun
project contact Lauren at lpreske@wesselmannaturesociety.org or call Wesselman
Woods Nature Center at 470-0771.
Because of sewer improvements along Tekoppel and Broadway portions of the
wetlands must be mitigated. The Wetland Park will be enlarged in three other
areas. More on this later.
Golfmoor Park: Glenn Boberg, the principal parks planner at the Evansville Dept.
of Parks and Recreation, also has applied to the Evansville Endowment Fund for
funds to renovate the tennis courts at Golfmoor Park. Westside Improvement sent
a letter of support for this grant. The tennis courts need repair.
Howell Park: The Evansville Parks Foundation joined the Howell Booster Club in
another Glow Golf in October. Half of the estimated proceeds of $4,000 will go
to the Foundation and half will go to the Howell Booster Club which manages the
Par 3, putt-putt, shelters, and playground. Westside Improvement paid for two
holes ($100) . The Booster Club contributes to the community in many other ways
such as scholarships for west side youth and to the West Side Food Bank
Willard Library Park: Greg Hager, the Director of Willard Libary,
reported to the WIA Parks Committee that they had removed nine damaged trees
from the Library park and planted 19 trees native to Indiana. Willard is
looking very nice these days. If you haven't been to the library for
a while--check it out.
The Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage: The news was not good. The Indiana
Department of Transportation received three bids for the construction of our
trail from Fulton Avenue to West Franklin Street. All bids were too high, so
it's back to the drawing board. The Parks Department and the Greenway
Passage Advisory Board were compelled to remove some of the amenities such as
the canoe launch from the plan in order to bring the bids down to a level we
could afford. The revisions have been submitted to the state and it is
hoped the bids will be let in December so we can start construction in the
spring. It was anticipated we would be underway with construction by this
time, but when it was necessary to re-bid, spring has to be our starting date.
In order for Canoe Evansville to have a blue trail designation for
Pigeon Creek there has to be a beginning point and an ending designation.
When we were compelled to remove the canoe launch from the river front, the
Parks Department met with the Wesselman Woods Native Preserve officials and
presented a plan to end the trail at the Lamasco Canoe Launch. If Canoe
Evansville is as successful as we hope, we should have lots of people enjoying
the scenic beauty of Pigeon Creek. Businesses at West Franklin should
profit from this.
Wise Words from Larry Caplan at the Purdue University Cooperative Extension
Service
For people who lost woodland trees during the recent tornados, the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources sells seedling trees through their state
nurseries. These trees are about 6 to 18 inches tall and arrive at your door in
a bare root condition. Depending on species, the seedlings can cost anywhere
from $23 to $35 per 100 seedlings. You can also get packets of mixed species for
wildlife and woodland collections. The Extension office has order forms, or you
can download one from the DNR at this site: http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/pdfs/Nursery%20Order%20Form%2005-06.pdf
. Larry also tells us Fall is the best time for planting and never add peat moss
or manure to the planting hole—amend a large bed. Amending the hole only can
cause root girdling.
Also, if you need to hire a tree trimmer to repair or remove damaged trees, be
sure that they are licensed by the city of Evansville. This is a legal
requirement for people within Evansville’s city limits; for those outside the
city limits it is just good sense. An Evansville tree trimmer’s license
indicates the company has attended a training program offered by our City
Arborist and me, and that they have both liability and worker’s compensation
insurance. Contact the Department of Urban Forestry at 812-475-1426 to get an
updated list of licensed tree trimmers.
Shirley James, Chair
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