By Al Stanek
The baskets of colorful flowers hanging from light poles in downtown Whitewater along with the colorful huge coffin-like sidewalk planters gracing city parks are apparently a thing of the past. A shortage of available workers and potential budget savings appear to be the cause.
A small group of residents is trying to stimulate a grassroots approach to not letting these, often taken for granted, urban amenities disappear.
The group, led by long-time Whitewater residents Rick and Jeanine Fassl, with the blessing of Public Works Director Brad Marquardt and Streets Superintendent Brian Neumeister has planted a half dozen flats of annual flowering plants and buckets full of perennial bulbs in large street planters at Cravath Lakefront Park. Along with the help of City Urban Forestry Commission Chair Sherry Stanek the group is now working on finding residents and businesses willing to periodically water and weed planters downtown and at nearby community buildings.
Living Word Fellowship has agreed to sponsor two large flower boxes in front of their Main Street building. The downtown SweetSpot Cafe has committed to maintaining another two large flower planters across from their building on Whitewater Street.
Whitewater Common Council member David Stone has volunteered to maintain four large planters at the entrance to Cravath Lakefront Park and the city’s Walmart made a generous donation of gift cards used to purchase the initial flats of flowers.
Recently the “pop-up volunteer garden club” cleaned up the area around the Birge Fountain on the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center grounds along with filling fountain area planters with colorful annuals to enhance the area’s soon to be popping rose bushes.
City summer-help crews used to plant and water downtown hanging baskets along with planting and maintaining landscaping at all city buildings and public parks. Without more volunteers and/or financial contributions Whitewater is likely to be less attractive for residents and visitors this summer.
