Maintaining more than 75 parks in one town is challenging, and local nonprofits like the Levy Senior Center Foundation are working with the City of Evanston to help.
Still, some green spaces slip through the cracks, like the small park just east of First Congregational Church of Evanston on Hinman Avenue that the RoundTable recently reported on.
And on July 21, a concerned Evanstonian sent the RoundTable an email expressing concern about the “deteriorating condition” of the Merrick Rose Garden on Lake Street. Photos show cracked dirt, a broken sprinkler head and a generally sad situation.
A few weeks later, just days after the monster storm that felled dozens of trees and soaked the city, the Rose Garden was looking a little better. The roses were blooming, the grass was green and the fountain was flowing.
But the fact remains that residents are concerned about the state of some of their beloved parks and gardens, particularly Merrick, which has hosted engagement photo shoots and weddings for decades.
According to Cynthia Vargas, the city’s communications and engagement manager, the Merrick Rose Garden is maintained by the city’s Greenways Division. Until recently, the department was suffering from a staff shortage, but now, Vargas said it has a full team.
But she acknowledged that the garden has had some issues. “While staffing may have played a small role, other factors, such as weather, have had an impact on the garden,” she said.
With more than six dozen parks in Evanston and a forestry division that works nonstop to keep branches away from power lines and streets, the maintenance effort for the city is substantial.
Rothschild Gardens
The Rothschild Gardens at the Levy Senior Center also were in need of some TLC. That is until the Levy Senior Center Foundation — in cooperation with the city, Nature’s Perspective and The Garden Club of Evanston — made a plan to refurbish and take over maintenance of the gardens.
Judy Newton, chair of the Levy Senior Center Foundation board, spearheaded the project on behalf of the foundation. A celebration for the garden renovation, sponsored by the foundation and the City of Evanston, was held Sept. 12.
“Thanks to Nature’s Perspective and our partners, we were able to put additional funds and resources towards the refurbishment of this beautiful public space,” Newton said. “With foundation funding, we added new plantings and perennials and revisioned the existing foliage. We also reworked the space to better accommodate wheelchairs and added pathways to the ground-scaping.”
According to Mark Watson, director of operations for Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, more than 12 new plants were added, including autumn moor grass, dark towers beardtongue, Bevan’s variety geranium, berry awesome hibiscus, variegated iris and blue angel hostas. Additionally, a few existing plants were bolstered, including black-eyed Susan and coneflower.
Watson said Nature’s Perspective is also maintaining the Rothschild Gardens on a biweekly basis, also with foundation funding.
Michael Callahan, the city’s assistant director of parks and recreation, said that the City of Evanston entered into an agreement with the Levy Senior Center Foundation for $2,500 in the spring and $2,500 in the fall. He added that the city also paid to repair and update the sprinkler system for about $2,000.
“The city has invested $5,000 in this important initiative, along with a generous contribution from the Garden Club of Evanston,” Callahan said. “These combined efforts reflect our community’s dedication to preserving and enhancing the beauty of the Rothschild Gardens, ensuring that this treasured space will continue to flourish for years.”
In the newly improved Rothschild Gardens, Newton is hoping that the refurbishment will draw people to come eat lunch, talk with friends, play games and experience the aesthetic benefits of the new plantings and seasonal blooms.“Wherever you are, the garden is seasonal and it’s colorful and sensory,” Newton said. “We want residents to come and visit the new plantings and enjoy everything the Rothschild Gardens have to offer.”
Enhancing the mosaics
Newton added that the additional plantings help bring out the beauty of the mosaics, which were created by local artist Ginni Sykes more than 20 years ago and were recently cleaned and repaired with foundation funding. The foundation also recently paid to repair and clean the outdoor furniture, including the tables, chairs and benches.“The foundation is committed to providing the support and funds needed to ensure the gardens are a beautiful place for people to come relax and reflect,” Newton said. “We are proud to fund improvements like these new plants and flowers, along with the 10 decorative birdhouses which were painted by local artists and installed in 2021, because it’s a space we want residents to enjoy and use for years to come.”
Newton said the collaboration with the city and the Garden Club exemplifies how public and private entities can come together to make improvements to public spaces, especially gardens.
“This is the first of what we hope are other joint projects that combine private and public funding to create beautiful things and launch new initiatives for everyone to enjoy,” Newton said.
By Belinda Lichty Clarke as published in the Evanston RoundTable.
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