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Beautification volunteers plan Arbor Day plantings, giveaways and ivy removal
Summary
Sweet Home’s Beautification Committee told the Park and Tree Committee it has 13–15 volunteers, money carried over from last year to cover planting, planned median and island plantings in May, and will remove invasive ivy at Sankey Park during Arbor Day activities.
The Park and Tree Committee heard a Beautification Committee update on Feb. 19, 2025, reporting planned plantings for medians and islands, volunteer recruitment and a schedule tied to Arbor Day activities.
Patty, speaking for the Beautification Committee, said the group currently has “about 13 to 15” committed volunteers and is focused on recruiting more help and on fixing maintenance issues from previous years. Committee members said the group plans to reuse the basic schedule used in past seasons while introducing a slightly scaled-back planting palette this year to keep the work familiar to the new lead, Candy Snyder, who is currently on vacation.
The committee expects flowers for the medians to arrive from Bowman’s on May 12 and said mass planting of medians and islands is planned around mid-May; committee members cited May 13 as a target for the larger planting shift. Public Works staff will assist with median work and traffic control, the committee said, and volunteers are coordinating watering checks in the weeks before planting to avoid day-of irrigation problems.
Committee members said funding carried over from last year should cover the plant purchases for 2025; the group also confirmed there is money in the new city budget year to cover plant purchases after June. Patty said she will circulate a planting calendar and a flyer draft for Arbor Day to committee members before the next meeting.
Organizers said they will distribute handouts and potted seedlings at the event; several of the seedling varieties (including dwarf Oregon grape and other small landscape shrubs) were unavailable at the recent seedling sale but committee members plan to bring propagated plants from volunteers’ yards.
The committee also plans an on-site ivy removal effort at Sankey Park on Arbor Day morning to clear invasive ivy from trees. Members asked to pair the removal work with children’s activities and to photograph before-and-after work to document volunteer effort.
Committee members agreed to confirm a planting/photo schedule so volunteers and staff can attend for photographs and publicity. A draft Arbor Day flyer will be circulated and run as an ad and Facebook post once finalized.
Ending
The committee asked members to take photographs of a community garden in Lebanon before the next meeting so the group can decide whether to recommend creating a similar garden in Sweet Home. Patty said she will finalize the Arbor Day flyer and share it with the committee ahead of the next meeting.
