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Volunteers restore landscaping on Freeport city-owned lots, cite 134 hours of labor and modest supply needs
Summary
Members of the Pretzel Gardeners and students from Banksburg Agnew told the Freeport City Council they spent 134 volunteer hours clearing weeds, replacing weed barrier and adding mulch at city lots and asked the council to consider small budget items for supplies.
Lynette Williams and a volunteer group called the Pretzel Gardeners told the Freeport City Council they have been cleaning and replanting landscaping on several Freeport city-owned lots and estimate their labor saved the city roughly $2,700 in paid work. "My crew worked a hundred and 34 hours on this," Williams said during her presentation to the council.
The work addressed overgrown municipal lots near Douglas and Van Buren, the parking lot by Stevenson and Liberty, and several triangular medians. Williams said volunteers removed an old fabric weed barrier, laid cardboard and mulch (supplied by the city), transplanted irises and lilies donated by community members, and cut back tree sprouts. Leslie Price, a social worker at Banksburg Agnew Educational Center, introduced several students who helped with the work.
Volunteers described several recurring maintenance problems that made the sites difficult to manage: pervasive milkweed and morning glory growth, litter and landscape waste used as dog waste receptacles, and roots and old weed barrier that required hand removal. Williams said the group coordinated weekly with Pat Ingram, the city street superintendent, who provided mulch and other support.
Volunteers asked the council to consider modest line-item funding to cover consumables such as lawn waste bags and plants so the group does not have to rely entirely on donations and scrounged materials. "It would be nice for a little bit of money in it, you know, for lawn bags and plants," Williams told the council.
Mayor Miller and council members thanked the volunteers. The group said the maintenance has reduced the need for frequent work at the site: Williams said current upkeep now takes the crew about one hour every other week rather than continuing heavy manual work.
The presentation included names of student volunteers who assisted and called out the group's collaborations with other neighborhood caretakers. Williams and Price said the effort has drawn interest from neighborhood volunteers and school program participants and encouraged other property caretakers to undertake similar projects.
The council did not take formal action on the presentation at the meeting; the remarks were delivered as a public presentation and informational item.
