The members of Harford County’s Development Advisory Committee reviewed a preliminary plan Wednesday to create 21 residential lots on land in Forest Hill.

The lots would be part of a 150.42-acre parcel north of West Jarrettsville Road and west of Bailey Road; the parcel is zoned for agricultural use. The Fallstaff Limited Partnership owns the land.

The land is also near a Colonial Pipeline storage facility, and part of an underground petroleum pipeline operated by the company is under a small section of the parcel.

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An access road along the southern edge of the parcel serves as a route to the Colonial storage tanks, and the plan presented to members of DAC Wednesday shows six of the 21 lots are just north of the access road’s 50-foot right of way.

The plans, developed by Wilson Deegan Associates Inc., of Jarrettsville, also show the 13th lot in the northwest corner of the property, at the end of a residential drive.

Planners proposed putting the driveway across the underground route of the Colonial petroleum pipeline; Moe Davenport, chairman of the Development Advisory Committee, said the land over the pipeline must be developed in accordance with deed restrictions for the property.

Much of the property is within areas designated as a Natural Resource District by the Harford County zoning code, and DAC members spoke about efforts to protect the natural resources of the property.

Jennifer Wilson, representing the Department of Planning and Zoning on the committee, spoke about the need to preserve the parcel’s natural features, such as forests, wetlands and streams; she noted waterways on the property drain into a local trout stream.

“We just want to make sure they’re protected, and the plan indicates that for the most part,” Davenport said after the meeting.

No members of the public made comments during the hearing on the plans Wednesday.

Ladew Gardens improvements

Fritz Behlen, senior associate with Site Resources Inc. of Phoenix in Baltimore County, presented plans to build a new two-story, 25,200-square-foot maintenance building with a parking area at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton.

The plans also include reconfiguring the entrance and exit areas off of Route 146 (Jarrettsville Pike) into one location.

“Our goal is to separate vehicle and pedestrian movements that happen on the campus,” Behlen explained.

Behlen said visitors to the 22-acre gardens, who are on foot, mingle with vehicle traffic on the grounds, including delivery and maintenance vehicles, tour buses and vehicles of people attending events such as weddings.

The gardens are part of a 200-acre estate purchased by Harvey S. Ladew in 1929. The gardens were opened to visitors in 1971, and Ladew Topiary Gardens Inc. operates and maintains the gardens and manor house, according to the Ladew website.

Behlen said planners propose to expand the parking lot and “create a better arrival zone for buses.”

The new maintenance facility will replace an aging building on the campus. The combined exit and entrance would include a deceleration lane on Route 146 leading to the gate, designed to slow traffic while making the entrance more visible to motorists.

Kevin and Nancy Bultman, who live across Route 146 from the Ladew grounds, expressed concerns about losing part of their view of the Ladew landscape for an expanded parking lot.

“I’m concerned that I’m going to see even more asphalt,” Nancy Bultman said.

The Bultmans are also worried about an increased level of traffic from vehicles entering and exiting in the same location, almost directly across the road from their home.

“From the state’s perspective, the site’s not going to generate any more traffic than it does now,” Rich Zeller, who represents the State Highway Administration on the Committee, noted.

Behlen said landscaping proposed for the new lot would shade the concrete and asphalt.

“Sometimes, it’s just a key placement of a tree here and there that makes the difference, also,” he explained.

The Bultmans stressed they are not trying to impede the project.

“I think, in the end, it’s going to look nice,” Kevin Bultman said. “It’s just a matter of coming on the same page.”

• 

BY DENNY WIGGERS

Hello fellow gardeners and hopeful gardener wanna be’s! I’m Denny and I hope to inspire, chat and glorify the great outdoors with garden and landscaping ideas for you and your world! I hope to pass on bits of gardening info and newsie bits that concern you and Mother Earth. So let’s talk about late season color.

As I write this, I notice the nights are getting shorter and happily we are able to open the windows at night and feel a nice cool breeze. Before I mention the dreaded four letter word…Let’s still enjoy the summer!

Rockland county’s summer weather has been crazy and reeking havoc in all of our gardens. The annuals are getting leggy, plants are getting burned by the sun and getting soggy roots. It’s been either the Mojave desert heat or the Amazon jungle rain. Which leads me to urge you to getting some color out in your yard for the last hurrah of summer and fall time so that you can let nature do it’s thing for the future years to come.

FLOWERING PERENNIALS! Now is a great time to plant them. Enjoy them now and year after year they will come back and greet you like an old friend. A few of my favorites are listed below but go to the garden center and seek out more! A bit of an investment from the pocket but it will also be an investment to your home.

Echinacea- also known as the cone flower because of it’s conical center. Daisy like petals and the varieties are endless as also the colors. Warm Summer and Paradiso are my faves but the colors are dazzling!
Dianthus- A low growing flower (6-7 inches high and spreads to 12-14 inches wide) that looks like a flat carnation and is as hardy. Solids colors to three make this a wonderful border plant.
Golden Rod / Solidago- Bright yellow blossoms on fern like stems make this perennial an easy to grow flower. Splashes of this here and there will accentuate any area you have.
Asters- Another fall favorite! colors galore with a daisy look but thinner petals. Attracts lots of butterflies.Team this up with Lacy Frill Lavender- A White blossom fragrant lavender to scent up your garden.
Russian Sage- A cloud of lavender blue blossoms on green grey stems blowing in the wind. 12-18 inches in height they are a standout for any border or a container. Pair it up with a Moonbeam Coreopsis (yellow) and the results are striking!

These are only a few but there are hundreds of perennials out there for you to choose from. But the idea of having more color and less work sounds good to me!

See you next time around the potting bench and if you have any comments, by all means drop a line here at the Rockland County Times c/o Denny Wiggers or info@dwgemail.com or visit www.dennywiggersgardenscapes.com.

• 

Spurred by new evidence illustrating the problems associated with pesticide use in gardens, Portland’s Overlook Neighborhood is working to become Portland’s first pesticide-free neighborhood.

Incorrect use of pesticides has been in the news lately, starting with the mass bee death in Wilsonville in June. Adding to the drama, some wholesale nurseries have been scrutinized this past week, with the release of a study by Friends of the Earth (FOE) in which it was discovered that many plants marketed as “bee-friendly” in some retail nurseries may contain neonicotinoid pesticides which are actually lethal to bees and other pollinators.

Being green isn’t so easy when toxic chemicals are being used at so many levels in the nursery and landscaping industries. So how to begin addressing the problem?

One option is to start at home – by purchasing organically-grown plants whenever possible. Since organically-grown ornamentals can be hard to find, just ask your retailers if they can verify what, if anything, plants were sprayed with before they showed up on the nursery benches. Most very large stores’ staff probably cannot answer that question. Small nurseries, on the other hand, probably can, as they are either growing the plants themselves or obtaining them from growers whom they know on a first-name basis. This means they can find out directly from their trusted, established growers what sprays if any are used.

Another option is to commit to gardening in future without using toxic chemicals. Overlook neighborhood already has some 275 households committed to landscaping without using toxic chemicals since June 2013, thanks in part to Sustainable Overlook – a program which aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting health, water and habitat for pollinators, wildlife and human inhabitants.

Sustainable Overlook was co-founded by a group of Overlook neighbors including Alice Busch, Leslee Lewis and Mulysa Melco. Growing out of Overlook’s neighborhood association, the three started a sustainability group. A few years later, they partnered with Metro’s Pesticide-Free Gardening program to promote pesticide-free gardening on an even more local level. (Another neighborhood – Sabin, in inner NE Portland – created the popular Bee-Friendly Garden Tour a few years ago, which also promotes pesticide-free gardening.)

Through the neighborhood association, Overlook residents can attend classes with local gardening experts and pledge to maintain a pesticide-free garden. If you’re an Overlook neighborhood resident, check out the Sustainable Overlook webpage for more information and to sign the pledge. If you are a member of any one of Portland’s other 94 officially recognized neighborhoods, sign up for Metro’s Healthy Lawn and Garden Pledge. Either way, you’ll get a free Pesticide-Free Zone ladybug yard sign and coupons for discounts on native plants and other benefits.

To promote the idea to neighbors and the city at large, Sustainable Overlook will hold the neighborhood’s second annual garden tour on Saturday, August 24, 2013. The tour’s eight featured gardens represent a wide variety of landscaping styles but are all pesticide-free. A map and garden descriptions can be found on the Sustainable Overlook garden tour page starting Tuesday August 20, 2013.

Interested in more information about pesticide-free gardening, or want to start your own pesticide-free neighborhood? Visit the Metro contact page or call Carl Grimm, Natural Gardening Toxics Reduction Planner, at 503-234-3000.

By

CANDY BROOKS

ThisWeek Community News

Wednesday August 21, 2013 12:34 PM

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Thirteen central Ohio homes will be included in this year’s Outdoor Living and Landscaping Tour, presented by the Columbus Landscape Association.

The tour will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24.

In its third year, the tour will feature outdoor living spaces and professional landscapes in Worthington, Upper Arlington, Dublin, northwest Columbus and Bexley.

The gardens and landscapes highlighted on the tour belong to clients of professional landscape members of the CLA. Members of the CLA are credentialed landscapers who are known for producing the gardens and themed scenery.

The tour will enable participants to experience gardens in real-life settings in an effort to spark creativity and inspire them when working on their own green space. Guests will be provided with landscaping information, refreshments, an opportunity to meet garden designers and discuss their own lawn ideas and challenges and an opportunity to win special landscaping offers from CLA members.

Tickets for the central Ohio garden tour are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the tour.

Tickets could be purchased at any Oakland Nursery location or at Outdoor Living by Mr. Mulch, 2721 W. Dublin-Granville Road.

Tickets also are available on the CLA website: columbuslandscape.org.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Hope Hollow, a local nonprofit organization that offers complimentary lodging and a peaceful and supportive environment to those battling cancer.

Completed in 1957 for industrialist and philanthropist J. Irwin Miller and his family in Columbus, Indiana, the Miller House and Garden embodies midcentury Modernism in it’s fullest. Architect Eero Saarinen‘s steel and glass composition has held together very well, proving the quality and use of materials to be worthy of time.

More on the Miller House and Garden after the break.

Not the first building designed for these clients by Saarinen, the initial intention of Miller and his wife was to create a year-round dwelling that could be used to entertain business guests from around the world, also doubling as a good environment to raise their children.  As head of Cummins Engine, was to create civic and institutional buildings in their town located 45 miles from Indianapolis, hoping to transform and reinvent into a hub of inventive design. Eero Saarinen worked with interior designer Alexander Girard and landscaper Daniel Kiley to best fulfill the ideas he had in mind for the house and garden.

An architectural tradition developed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, this house encompasses some of the most fundamental aspects of the international Modernist aesthetic, including an open and flowing layout, flat roof and vast stone and glass walls. Saarinen also included ideas of the main walls of public areas extending from floor to ceiling and cut out of marble several inches thick. The exposed edges eliminate a sense of separation between interior and nature through use of huge panes of glass.

It is located on a thirteen-acre rectangular site that stretches between a busy street and river. The plan acts as an organized rectangle divided into nine sections, the corners house the master bedroom suite, children’s area, kitchen/laundry, and a zone encompassing the guest room, servant’s quarters and a carport. The children’s rooms were designed with knowledge of standard children’s rooms in Finland, where the private bedroom of each child was made small and functional and attached to a common playroom that tended to encourage social interaction.

Totaling around 6,800 square-feet, the one-story house comprised of glass and gray-blue-slate panels is supported by steel cruciform columns and illuminated by a grid of skylights. The interior designing of Alexander Girard creates an intimate and colorful experience, particularly in the living room’s conversation pit. The dining area’s sculptural white pedestal chairs become the center of focus while passing through or stopping to eat and enjoy the company.

Landscaping by Kiley is admired for its large geometric gardens and alley of honey locust trees, which run alon the west side of the house.

In 2000, the property underwent a $2 million dollar restoration and the National Historic Landmark was reopened to the  public.The Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation and the Miller family have donated around $5 million, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art is continuing to raise more funds.

Architect: Eero Saarinen
Location: Columbus, Indiana
Project Year: 1957
References: Eero Saarinen
Photographs: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Garden Visit

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Garden Visit

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Garden Visit

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

© Indianapolis Museum of Art

Spurred by new evidence illustrating the problems associated with pesticide use in gardens, Portland’s Overlook Neighborhood is working to become Portland’s first pesticide-free neighborhood.

Incorrect use of pesticides has been in the news lately, starting with the mass bee death in Wilsonville in June. Adding to the drama, some wholesale nurseries have been scrutinized this past week, with the release of a study by Friends of the Earth (FOE) in which it was discovered that many plants marketed as “bee-friendly” in some retail nurseries may contain neonicotinoid pesticides which are actually lethal to bees and other pollinators.

Being green isn’t so easy when toxic chemicals are being used at so many levels in the nursery and landscaping industries. So how to begin addressing the problem?

One option is to start at home – by purchasing organically-grown plants whenever possible. Since organically-grown ornamentals can be hard to find, just ask your retailers if they can verify what, if anything, plants were sprayed with before they showed up on the nursery benches. Most very large stores’ staff probably cannot answer that question. Small nurseries, on the other hand, probably can, as they are either growing the plants themselves or obtaining them from growers whom they know on a first-name basis. This means they can find out directly from their trusted, established growers what sprays if any are used.

Another option is to commit to gardening in future without using toxic chemicals. Overlook neighborhood already has some 275 households committed to landscaping without using toxic chemicals since June 2013, thanks in part to Sustainable Overlook – a program which aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting health, water and habitat for pollinators, wildlife and human inhabitants.

Sustainable Overlook was co-founded by a group of Overlook neighbors including Alice Busch, Leslee Lewis and Mulysa Melco. Growing out of Overlook’s neighborhood association, the three started a sustainability group. A few years later, they partnered with Metro’s Pesticide-Free Gardening program to promote pesticide-free gardening on an even more local level. (Another neighborhood – Sabin, in inner NE Portland – created the popular Bee-Friendly Garden Tour a few years ago, which also promotes pesticide-free gardening.)

Through the neighborhood association, Overlook residents can attend classes with local gardening experts and pledge to maintain a pesticide-free garden. If you’re an Overlook neighborhood resident, check out the Sustainable Overlook webpage for more information and to sign the pledge. If you are a member of any one of Portland’s other 94 officially recognized neighborhoods, sign up for Metro’s Healthy Lawn and Garden Pledge. Either way, you’ll get a free Pesticide-Free Zone ladybug yard sign and coupons for discounts on native plants and other benefits.

To promote the idea to neighbors and the city at large, Sustainable Overlook will hold the neighborhood’s second annual garden tour on Saturday, August 24, 2013. The tour’s eight featured gardens represent a wide variety of landscaping styles but are all pesticide-free. A map and garden descriptions can be found on the Sustainable Overlook garden tour page starting Tuesday August 20, 2013.

Interested in more information about pesticide-free gardening, or want to start your own pesticide-free neighborhood? Visit the Metro contact page or call Carl Grimm, Natural Gardening Toxics Reduction Planner, at 503-234-3000.

The School of Architecture, Land and Environmental Science of the Neapolis University of Paphos, part of the Leptos Group Neapolis Smart EcoCity Project, has undertaken the task to landscape the Gardens of the Theological School of Halki in Constantinople, in view of its forthcoming reopening.

The Holy Theological School of Halki is located on the islet of the same name, in the Pringiponissia (Prince’s Islands) group of islands in Marmaras Bay, off the coast of Constantinople, and was established on October 1st, 1844. Following its forced closure by the Turks in 1971, it has lay silent ever since.

After a worldwide campaign to reinstate it, it was essential to undertake the works required to allow it to be ready to once again achieve its aim when it re-opens.

Amongst these works is the landscaping of its surrounding Gardens, a project undertaken by the School of Architecture, Land and Environmental Science of the Neapolis University of Paphos, part of the Leptos Group Neapolis Smart EcoCity Project, led by Dr. Julia Georgi, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of European and Research Projects.

The landscaping project has been envisaged in such manner as to provide a spiritual link between the contemporary landscaping of the Gardens and their Byzantine heritage. This required in-depth and exhaustive research by the team, as the available information on landscaping techniques in the Byzantine era is fairly limited.

Plantation which has survived the forty years of disuse, such as cedars, cypresses, pine trees and oleanders, will be enhanced by landscaping which will include planting several other species of plants and trees found in abundance in the Mediterranean.

The new plants and trees to be used in the landscaping project have not been randomly chosen; instead each of the species has a symbolic meaning in the scriptures: fig trees symbolise gentleness, vines symbolise calmness, pomegranate trees symbolise courage and vigour, date palms trees symbolise justice, and peach trees symbolise modesty. All these will be amongst the species of flora to be included in the project.

As part of the project, the team from Neapolis University visited the site in early June, at the attendance of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the Bishop of Proussa and Prior of the Holy Monastery of Saint Trinity of Halki, Elpidoforos, who leads the attempts to re-instate the operation of the Holy Theological School of Halki

The team’s plans are due to be unveiled in a ceremony in the Holy Theological School of Halki in Constantinople, on September 1, 2013, at the presence of Patriarch Bartholomew.

Seen in the photograph (from left) taken in Halki, are the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Patriarch of Antioch John X and the Bishop of Proussa, Elpidoforos, and Dr. Julia Georgi.

Welcome to Container Culture, TakePart’s new bimonthly gardening column by Taylor Orci. A Los Angeles native with an itch to grow her own food—despite the glaring sunlight that hits the balcony of her Valley apartment—Taylor knows a thing or two about eking a harvest out of a confined, constrained space. Whether you’re planting herbs in a window box, growing tomatoes in a warren of terra cotta pots, or have the luxury of space for a number of raised beds, Container Culture will bring you advice, support and other stories about growing food in a city.

The zucchini had produced a bumper crop of terribleness, and it wouldn’t stop.

At first, the sight of the vegetables in our family’s backyard was quaint, like the motif on a roll of paper towels. I checked the growth of the zucchini every day, feeling increasingly accomplished for the work my mother had done, feeling nostalgic for the days of yore of a farmer that, at the age of 10, I’d never been. When the plants revealed mature zucchini, I scooped them up tenderly in my arms and carried them to the kitchen. I didn’t mind my skin itching from the fine squash hairs—I had watched something grow from nothing, and it felt like magic.

But the blessing quickly became a curse. My view of these vegetables changed. The whiskery vines produced blossom after Kraft-singles-colored blossom. Then, each yellow single petal would shrink and fall off, and in its place would grow a long, bulbous Muppet snout. I shortly abandoned my squash coddling, and the onus fell on my mother to pick them, only to have them deflate on the formica countertop, their potential squandered, but for what I know not. Because as a household, we did not eat much zucchini. There was one New Mexican version of picadillo my mom would make, but even then, I’d pick out the mushy squash and root around in the tomato sauce for the ground-meat chunks.

Why we would decide to plant three squash plants is anyone’s guess. It was a new house for us; maybe this was part of my mom’s nesting ritual. It could have been an impulse buy at the Target garden center. Even if our family had actually liked the vegetable, it was simply too much of it. You’d think the lesson was learned.

But last spring I decided to grow squash, because it’s a thing I know how to grow. Looking at the young seedlings, they seemed harmless enough, like mogwais yet to get wet. Two seemed like a completely sensible number of squash plants to have. That is, until harvest season came, bringing too many squash gremlins along with it. I’m not ashamed. I ripped one up and threw it in a wheelbarrow, putting it out of its misery.

Contrastingly, I did the exact opposite with my beans, as if two plants are really going to yield anything substantial for my house, which eats beans on the reg. Like the super reg. Like I just ate some while writing this, twice.

Planning a garden always requires some mental gymnastics because you never know if you’re going to plant too little or too much of one thing. How many pea plants and how many broccoli plants and how many people are in your house? Add guests, subtract days you’ll be out of town, and divide by…ugh.

So here are some comprehensive tips that will make planning your fall garden less of a mathematical headache:

First off, plant things you’re going to eat. This seems obvious, but for example, chard is beautiful. If I’m going on looks alone, then it’s chard all the way. But I have yet to taste chard in a dish I like. And if this is a vegetable garden of crops I’m planting for the sake of eating, I’ll give that valuable garden space to another crop and save the chard for an ornamental landscaping project for the make-believe Spanish colonial mansion I have in my mind.

Next, check out some sample plans. One inspiring source is Renee’s Garden. Better Homes and Gardens also has a solid database of garden plans to get you started. When planning your garden, think about the plants you’ll be growing that will only produce once, such as beets and cabbage, versus plants that will produce multiple times, such as beans or…squash. If you eat more of the things that only produce once, plant accordingly.

Lastly, to determine how much of this dream will actually fit into your plot of land, check out My Squarefoot Garden for an intro lesson about plotting out crop space and making a cohesive plan.

Gardener and food enthusiast extraordinaire Michael Pollan once said, in reference to having luck in the garden, that there’s no such thing as a green thumb—there’s only good planning. So sit on your hands and fight the urge to scatter your seeds willy-nilly. Good planning and patience will make the fruits of your labor that much sweeter—plus they won’t rot ’cause you planted too much, or underwhelm you because you planted too little.

BERWICK, Maine — A community effort has been in the works in Berwick since October 2012 when the Bowie family of 3 Little Harbor Road reached out to their friends and neighbors for help with a special home renovation.

Garreth and Heather Bowie are the proud parents of two vivacious boys, Liam, 14, and Aidan, 12. Raising boys has challenges of its own, but imagine trying to care for a child with special needs in a home that cannot accommodate him safely.

Aidan has epilepsy and an undiagnosed developmental disability that prevents him from being able to speak out loud or walk, eat, or drink on his own.

“We give him opportunities to communicate,” explained Heather who has introduced Aidan to the GoTalk app on his iPad that allows him to select ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers and choose between pictures of different foods and drinks, etc.

“We’re guessing a lot what he’s thinking, but we believe that he’s understanding us. We expose him, we talk to him as if he understands, but we don’t get a lot back from him.”

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer In Aidan Bowie’s room, a large “dream big” painting was created at his Berwick home where he and his family live.

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Aidan can walk short distances with assistance, but relies heavily on his power wheelchair for mobility.

In the Bowie’s small family home, this created some serious accessibility issues. The home simply could not accommodate Aidan’s power wheelchair and it had to be left at the door when he was home. Additionally, the configuration of their small bathroom made him unable to use the home’s shower or toilet because of safety concerns.

Garreth is a skilled cabinetmaker and Heather works part-time, but the extent of the renovations needed to make their home accessible was not something that they could afford.

After collaborating with builder Jason Lajeunesse, of JDL Design Build, in October 2012, they came up with plans that would put the project cost at approximately $75,000.

“We worked with the Bowie’s to understand what they needed and developed a plan that would be the most economical way to pull that off,” said Lajeunesse. “We took feedback from the family and the home.”

Thus began a community effort to make this project possible. Monetary or material donations were given throughout the year, as well as physical labor, and even meals cooked for those volunteering their time to work on the house.

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer Heather, left and Garreth Bowie, right, talk about their son Aidan, who has developmental disability, epilepsy, and complex motor control issues. They raised enough money, with family and friends helping in the process to provide a handicapped accessible home.

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The project was spearheaded primarily by the Bowie’s close family friends Sue Adler and Talley Westerberg.

“I work in the field and I know how hard it can be. I felt like I had a skill that I could offer to make life easier for my little chunk of the world,” said Adler, a special education teacher at Stratham Memorial School.“Most people got on board really quick and nobody said ‘I’ll just do this,’ everyone was really excited about it.”

“It’s astounding how many contractors gave their time and gave materials and just gave, and gave, and gave some more,” said Westerberg, a social worker at Winnacunnet High School. “Everybody helped out in the ways that they could help out.”

“Giving leads to giving,” is what Adler truly believes about charitable work.

Ground broke at the end of December last year and phase one of the project began.

There have been some snags along the way. The original design plans called for a large new addition at the back of the house. “The day that we went to go start digging the foundation we found out that there was an easement on the back of the property that prevented us from building on the back of the house,” explained Lajeunesse. “We had to redesign the addition to provide what the family needed.”

Garreth Bowie, smiling and his best friend Brian Jobin, who gave his friend free electric work for his new addition to the home of Jobin Electric, share an emotional moment at the Bowie house as the building was recently finished, on Sunday afternoon in Berwick.
(Ryan McBride/Staff photographer)

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“He stuck with the original figure, we just moved from the back to the front,” explained Adler about the cost of the project.

During phase one, Aidan’s old bedroom was transformed into a large accessible bathroom, which is now airy and open with a large shower space.

Phase two began in the spring with the demolition of the home’s entrance and new construction on the family’s mud and living rooms. The home now has a covered lift at its entrance that allows Aidan easy access and also to not be touched by falling rain or snow. In the mudroom, framed tiles hang one the wall with signatures from many who were involved with the project.

The living room is now larger and open, with mason work and a pellet stove provided by Abundant Life Stove. A guitar and a drum sit in the corner by the stove next to a big comfy chair. “Garreth plays guitar and Aidan likes to play the drums,” said Heather.

The hallways have been widened, another major benefit to Aidan. “He loves it,” said Heather. “Now that everything’s wide open and has open spaces he can just go.”

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer Heather Bowie explains the old and new bathroom layouts that will help in assisting her son Aidan in the mornings as the family readies for their days in Berwick Sunday morning after the “Bowie Project” finished up.

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The hardest part of the project, according to Lajeunesse, was the coordination of everyone involved. “Coordinating all of the different parties involved, the materials needed, and coordinating all of that to happen as efficiently as possible while working within all of the people’s schedules who are donating time made it complicated.”

“The best part of the job is seeing the project completed and the family enjoying the space,” said Lajeunesse.

“Aidan has loved everyone, all of the people coming into the house. He is very social and loves being around people,” said Garreth.

For Heather, the completion of the project marks an adjustment period. “It’s sort of like the day after Christmas when you’re busy and involved and amped and then it’s like ‘where did everyone go?” she explained. “Now that construction is complete we just get to live in our house.”

Tears fell as family friends and all involved took-in the culmination of their efforts. The one thing that the Bowie’s didn’t think to have handy for the open house was a box of tissues. It didn’t take long to see a roll of toilet paper perched on the shelf above where a YouTube video streamed a compilation of photos from the project. The song used in the video sang of having faith, a theme very near to the Bowie’s. They and many of those involved in the project are members of the Durham Evangelical Church.

“God was good,” said Adler of the project.

In the end, there was a total of $37,000 in cash donated to the project and another $40,000 or so in donated time, labor, and materials.

Although it was Laguenesse’s first experience with charitable giving, when asked if he would do it again he said, “Most definitely.”

The following companies donated their time, expertise, and materials to complete the Bowie House project and deserve recognition: JDL Building and Remodeling, Shea Concrete, Eldredge Lumber, Jackson Lumber and Millwork, Bestway Disposal Services, Middleton Building Supply, Jobin Electric, Hydro Air, Creative Masonry and Design, Avery Drywall, Shanley Plumbing and Heating, Exeter Lumber, Industrial Landscaping, Northeast Electrical Distributors, Hall Brothers Roofing, Abundant Life Stoves, Ironwood Construction, G and B Electric, TLP Painting, Churchills Gardens, and Green Penguin Landscaping.

Learn more about Aidan and the project at: http://teamaidan.wordpress.com.

Spurred by new evidence illustrating the problems associated with pesticide use in gardens, Portland’s Overlook Neighborhood is working to become Portland’s first pesticide-free neighborhood.

Incorrect use of pesticides has been in the news lately, starting with the mass bee death in Wilsonville in June. Adding to the drama, some wholesale nurseries have been scrutinized this past week, with the release of a study by Friends of the Earth (FOE) in which it was discovered that many plants marketed as “bee-friendly” in some retail nurseries may contain neonicotinoid pesticides which are actually lethal to bees and other pollinators.

Being green isn’t so easy when toxic chemicals are being used at so many levels in the nursery and landscaping industries. So how to begin addressing the problem?

One option is to start at home – by purchasing organically-grown plants whenever possible. Since organically-grown ornamentals can be hard to find, just ask your retailers if they can verify what, if anything, plants were sprayed with before they showed up on the nursery benches. Most very large stores’ staff probably cannot answer that question. Small nurseries, on the other hand, probably can, as they are either growing the plants themselves or obtaining them from growers whom they know on a first-name basis. This means they can find out directly from their trusted, established growers what sprays if any are used.

Another option is to commit to gardening in future without using toxic chemicals. In the close-in North Portland Overlook neighborhood, nearly 275 households have already committed to landscaping without using toxic chemicals since June 2013, thanks in part to Sustainable Overlook – a program which aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting health, water and habitat for pollinators, wildlife and human inhabitants.

Sustainable Overlook was co-founded by a group of Overlook neighbors including Alice Busch, Leslee Lewis and Mulysa Melco. Growing out of Overlook’s neighborhood association, the three started a sustainability group. A few years later, they partnered with Metro’s Pesticide-Free Gardening program to promote pesticide-free gardening on an even more local level. (Another neighborhood – Sabin, in inner NE Portland – created the popular Bee-Friendly Garden Tour a few years ago, which also promotes pesticide-free gardening.)

Through the neighborhood association, Overlook residents can attend classes with local gardening experts and pledge to maintain a pesticide-free garden. If you’re an Overlook neighborhood resident, check out the Sustainable Overlook webpage for more information and to sign the pledge. If you are a member of any one of Portland’s other 94 officially recognized neighborhoods, sign up for Metro’s Healthy Lawn and Garden Pledge. Either way, you’ll get a free Pesticide-Free Zone ladybug yard sign and coupons for discounts on native plants and other benefits.

To promote the idea to neighbors and the city at large, Sustainable Overlook will hold the neighborhood’s second annual garden tour on Saturday, August 24, 2013. The tour’s eight featured gardens represent a wide variety of landscaping styles but are all pesticide-free. A map and garden descriptions can be found on the Sustainable Overlook garden tour page starting Tuesday August 20, 2013.

Interested in more information about pesticide-free gardening, or want to start your own pesticide-free neighborhood? Visit the Metro contact page.