One of the more common and beautiful shrubs found in our
neighborhood is Red osier dogwood
(Cornus stolonifera).
It is instantly recognizable in the winter especially due to
the bright red color of its stems. In the summer it has white flowers and later
white berries. It is native to this area and has a long history of use. Native
Americans used the inner bark as one component of a tobacco mixture sometimes
used in religious ceremonies. Hence once of the names for this shrub is Kinnickinnic,
which means “that which is mixed” in the Cree and Chippewa dialects
of the Algonquin language.
I hope by the
time you receive this true winter will be here, with lots of snow and good
skating weather. If it has, you can take advantage of it at Tenney Park, where
the Parks Division keeps the skating concession and shelter open on weekdays
from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends and school
holidays. Skates are available for rent by the hour for adults and kids,
starting at $5 for the first hour for adults, $2 for each subsequent hour, and
$3 per hour for kids 14 and under. It’s a wonderful way to get a little
exercise and see the park from a whole different perspective. You might even
find some red osier dogwood along the banks of the lagoon.
The fence to screen the generator in Reynolds Park has been
completed. Originally the plan was to construct a brick fence to match the
reservoir. However, the bids for this came in very high, and instead a wooden
fence was constructed.
Do you have an idea for a great project to improve the
neighborhood, but need some financial help to get it off the ground?
Here’s a great opportunity to make your dream a reality.
The City Department of Planning and Development is once
again soliciting grants applications from neighborhood associations, business
associations and other nonprofit organizations for small-scale, high visibility
capital projects that can be undertaken and completed quickly. Projects that
qualify include neighborhood identity signs, re-forestation programs in
neighborhoods or business districts, streetscape improvement projects, such as
signs, banners, benches or perennial gardens and other items that will improve
neighborhood livability and vitality. Projects that include youth in all stages
of planning and execution, and projects that include a public art component are
particularly encouraged.
These Community Enhancement Grants provide for up to one to
one funding. Both volunteer hours and cash and in kind donations can be
matched. The City does request that the funds requested be limited to $25,000
and under.
Applications are available now, and there will be a workshop
on the program on January 9, 2003
at 7:00 p.m. in Room LL-130, Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. Complete information and application forms are available
online at http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/neighborhoods/grantprogram.htm
If you have an idea in mind that you would like the
neighborhood association to sponsor, please contact me as soon as possible. The
deadline to have the applications in to the city is February 24, and grants are
generally awarded in the late spring for summer completion.
Many Thornton Street neighbors and others were distressed
this fall by the removal of most of the trees and shrubs surrounding the foot
of the Johnson Street Bridge. This removal was done by a subcontractor of
MG&E with the knowledge of the Parks Division, but unfortunately there was
a miscommunication about the extent of the cutting to be done. Unfortunately,
with the Johnson Street Bridge scheduled to be reconstructed sometime in the
next few years, the planners at the Parks Division are understandably reluctant
to replant the bridge with trees and shrubs until that reconstruction is
completed. Until then, at the City’s request, MG&E’s contractor
grubbed out the remaining stumps and planted grass to hold the bank. Once the
bridge is reconstructed the area will be reforested with masses of native trees
and shrubs.
-Margaret
Bergamini
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