Volunteers, parks staff set phased cleanup plan for Veterans Park war memorial
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Summary
Bay City parks staff and a veterans group agreed to a phased cleanup of the Veterans Park war memorial: small items will be salvaged now, invasive weeds will be left to decompose over winter, and a targeted herbicide and replanting effort is planned next spring with volunteer and contractor support.
Greg, parks staff, said a veterans group reached out about cleanup work at Veterans Park’s war memorial and described a plan shaped by a local master gardener.
Jan Rides, a master gardener who inspected the site, recommended against pulling the existing weeds now because the root systems will regrow; she advised letting the material decompose over winter, then applying an herbicide in spring and transplanting any plants the city wishes to save. Greg said volunteers could transplant desired plants before winter and that after spring treatment the planting would essentially start anew.
Greg said the Bay Veterans Council previously set aside money for maintenance and that Bay Landscaping (contractor Jerry Simulski) has been hired in the past to clean the site for Memorial Day. He said the last cleanup effort split roughly $1,500 from the city and $1,500 from the veterans group to hire Bay Landscaping.
No formal motion was taken; staff described the plan as a seasonal, volunteer-supported effort with a contractor available for targeted work next year.