Beautification Committee

Salem Beautification Minutes from May 14, 2019 Meeting started at 7:11 In attendance: Lisa Lyons, Sandi Power Sam Fiore, Mary Ellen Halliwell, Giulia Bellofatto, Stephanie Hagyard, Ty Hapworth, Annie Scott, Bill Doane, and Staff Person Kevin Cornacchio. Absent: Barbara Sirois Clean Sweeps – May 4th, Very successful! Kevin reported that at least 100 bags of trash were removed that day. More were picked up during the week that were missed that day. Plant Sale – May 18th, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Rain or shine! Kevin has moved 2 plant carts from Artist Row and placed them on the common, to be returned after the plant sale. We’ll need volunteers to return any plants not sold to Darlene’s. This year we won’t have pollinators, but Annie has pollinator seeds that roll up in a clay ball that can be placed or tossed in various areas. Annie will not be able to attend the plant sale so Ty will work with her on the process and setup shop making that at the sale. The pollinator balls contain Echinacea, Butterfly Weed, Anise Hyssop, Black Eyed Susan. Also available, will be separate seed packets of each herb. Stickers for seed packets are needed. Giulia will make the stickers. John from Darlene’s will put a price list together for Sandi tomorrow. Ellen has the old price list. Sandi will need to coordinate with her and Micaela to get that list. Lisa has a list of what items sold last year to help determine the costs for this year. Bring any boxes, trays, and bags you have for people to bring home their purchases. Raffles? Giulia is bringing an herb bowl and Sam is bringing a succulent bowl. Mary Ellen has the Bcomm banner. We need 12 tables and a live hose for the plants. If you are helping with setup, please be at the Common by 7 am. If you volunteered to help, plant pickup is at Sandi’s house on Friday. Ladies of Salem – PO for bios is in place. Bios/thoughts will go to the printer next week, will be ready for install. LOS cleanup planned for 5/23. Install date is first week of June, Tuesday the 4th/Wednesday the 5th. Kevin has a PO for the clamps, 2 sizes needed. Traffic Islands – Sandi’s report: Accomplishments: We have been out every week since the end of March and cleaned up Temperance Park (twice), the Hosta gardens and Mazow’s corner island on Front/Washington St., Riley Plaza (twice), the two round islands on Hawthorne Blvd (Fisher and Shaw’s, the Boys & Girls Club). Bouchard’s island at intersection between Derby Place and Bank America. and Salem Chimney Company on Norman St. Salem Auto’s island at Riley Plaza has, over the fall and winter, become severely infested with Russian loosestrife involving underground runners which is extremely problematic. An herbicide may be the only solution. Sponsor Changes: Marc Leavitt is giving up his large garden on Riley Plaza. Drs. Fisher and Orfally will take over the full sponsorship of the island on lower Hawthorne Boulevard, Shaw Ins., having been bought out by a Mr. William Garrity, will sponsor the upper island on Hawthorne Blvd. previously sponsored by Boys & Girls Club, who have agreed to move their sponsorship to a section of Riley Plaza facing Washington St. Freedom Communications at 1 Canal St. will no longer sponsor an island as Mr. Suma recently sold his business to Russell Cellular. I have contacted them about a possible sponsorship. We now have several islands available. New BComm liaisons and Plant Sale: The traffic island contracts (MOU’s) have just now begun to be sent out as Micaela Guiglielmi and Kevin Cornacchio are settling into their new roles as our liaisons, taking over from Ellen Talkowski. I have spent a lot of time this month on 1.) Editing and updating information for Micaela, and 2.) Pulling up plants, obtaining plants from friends and neighbors, potting up plants, labeling and listing plants for the plant sale on May 18th. Ten-hour days have become the norm. Sandi Power, Chair, Traffic Island Program Washington Street – Tomorrow the trenching will be done. Ilene and Bev are coming out to help. Alfredo from RCG will also be there. Mill Street - Sam has spoken to Michael Levy from Home Depot, and they are committed to sponsoring Mill Street. The contract needs to be returned by 5/28. Sandi will speak to Micaela about getting that out to them. Dalton Parkway - At the last meeting Kevin inquired about Dalton Parkway on behalf of Ward 3 Councillor, Lisa Peterson. Lisa joined our meeting to discuss different options/ideas for Dalton Parkway. She mentioned that the Bcomm has once planted the beds, but the area is now overgrown. Different neighbors tried to work on it last year. Some direction is needed. Lisa wanted to start a conversation with the Bcomm, centered around various ways to get involved with this island if not this year, next year. A neighboring group, Board Street Park Group (15-20 people), is interested in caring for the island. What is expected? She and Sandi discussed cost ($75 the first year, $25 each year after that. The discussion continued around what to plant (planting suggestions accompany contracts), and responsibility for the garden once planted. Sandi made it know that they will be watched! Sandi suggested drawing up a plan and bringing it to Kevin. Mary Ellen suggested corporate sponsorship, present it as a neighborhood sponsorship. Further discussion among Bcomm members suggested drawing up rules about what responsibilities accompany sponsoring islands. Miscellaneous – Giulia and Kevin had a brief conversation about safety sandwich boards for island work. He knows of a company he can get them from but cannot open a PO until July. No rush, will discuss at a later meeting. Minutes from the April meeting were reviewed – motion to approve by Sandi, seconded by everyone. Motion to adjourn at 8:32 Respectfully submitted, Giulia Bellofatto