The month of May saw a resurgence of activity on the courthouse lawn, spurred by Osceola Chamber Main Street’s design committee. The design committee teamed up with Clarke County Conservation, Osceola FFA and Murray FFA to help revitalize the courthouse lawn through a deconstruction and planting project.
The project began with the project coordinator doing a walk-through of the different flower beds on the east side of the courthouse lawn.
“There were so many plantings that had been done over the years without any thought given to whether or not the plant needs sun or shade and whether it needs intensive maintenance or not,” said project coordinator Jan Rychnovsky.
Rychnovsky tagged the plants that needed removed altogether or relocated to proper areas in the flower beds.
The first phase of the project included tearing out the barberry bushes around the bell tower with the assistance of Clarke County Conservation. These, and other bushes, were taken to East Lake Park where they could be better utilized than in a downtown environment. While not all were removed that day, it made a major change in the aesthetic appearance of the courthouse lawn.
“It’s vital that the courthouse lawn be aesthetically pleasing to guests and residents,” said Derek Lumsden, executive director of Osceola Chamber Main Street. “We host a lot of events downtown and if your gathering spot doesn’t look well cared for, people can get an impression that this is a community that doesn’t care, which is dead wrong.”
The second phase of the project was the final deconstruction of one of the flower beds as well as continuing with the hosta planting that begin last year.
Brandi Boyd’s Osceola FFA group volunteered their time to help again this year, finishing the hosta project in plenty of time for the Fourth of July. The students celebrated with a meal at the Uptown Bistro, provided by Osceola Chamber Main Street.
Rychnovsky said, “The idea is to have form and function working together; unifying landscape that enhances the courtyard and makes it easier to maintain. We are also getting a lot of volunteer efforts as well plant donations, mulch, etc. that are making the project go so smoothly. It wouldn’t be possible to do the work we have done without all of that assistance and we hope it’s something that continues into the future.”
If people would like to get involved with some of the work being done by Osceola Chamber Main Street, contact Derek Lumsden at 641-342-4200 or email him at ocms@iowatelecom.net to find out ways to grow partnerships and take pride in the community.