EXETER – Cobham Antenna Systems is going green.

The local manufacturer of radar and communication system components for ships, submarines and aircraft took several eco-friendly initiatives when it recently expanded its manufacturing facility at 11 Continental Dr.

The green effort, which included the addition of more energy efficient windows, fixtures, lighting, air compressors and HVAC systems, is expected to result an estimated $840,000 over the lifetime of its new equipment and slash the amount of carbon dioxide the company produces by 7,404 tons.

Gov. Maggie Hassan toured the new 105,000-square-foot addition on Friday and presented a commendation recognizing the company for its energy efficiency achievements.

Cobham, which employs 400 workers in two facilities, worked on its green initiatives with Unitil, a Hampton-based power and natural gas provider.

“Cobham is committed to reducing energy consumption to support a position of sustainability which is quite simply the right thing to do for the environment,” said General Manager Steve Bouchard.

Bouchard praised Unitil for its help and said he hopes other companies take advantage of the energy efficiency programs available through the utility.

The environmentally friendly improvements incorporated in the expansion include a white roof, which will help cut down on the amount of heat the building absorbs and the radiant heat that’s brought into its air conditioning system.

Other features included low-flow fixtures in restrooms; hand dryers that save on paper and energy; ceiling- and wall-mounted motion sensors placed in all storage rooms, restrooms, small offices and mechanical rooms to control lighting; and clerestory windows that take advantage of natural light and reduce the number of light fixtures needed during daytime hours.

The company took green steps outside as well by using LED fixtures in parking lot lights and plants for landscaping that will grow under normal rain levels to avoid the need for water irrigation.

The expansion doubled the size of Cobham’s facility and included 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 35,000 square feet of conference room and office space.

Cobham earned the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Business of the Year” award for 2012.

jschreiber@newstote.com

The whine of bus engines and the stench of diesel exhaust are gone; Market Square, the heart of the heart of Brownsville, is entering a new phase, one aimed at attracting more people.

The city of Brownsville is handling the exterior makeover for the historic downtown centerpiece, the oldest part of which was erected in 1850.

Two years ago, even before the Brownsville Urban System relocated its buses to the new transit terminal on International Boulevard, the city’s planning department solicited ideas from University of Texas at Brownsville architecture students as to “what this place could look like,” said Ramiro Gonzalez, comprehensive planning manager for the city.

“We have a draft conceptual plan that’s basically been vetted through all the stakeholders,” he said.

Stakeholders include the fire department, Brownsville Historical Association, the planning department itself — any official entity with an interest in Market Square.

What kind of trees to install, lighting, landscaping and other options will be hammered out in the next few weeks, Gonzalez said.

“All those details are being worked through right now,” he said. “That’s where the plan stands. Engineering wise, it’s pretty much done.”

Gonzalez said the makeover will include not just Market Square itself but the alleys leading up to it, on either end, from East 10th Street and East 14th Street.

Locating the money to pay for the renovation is the next task, he said.

Sales tax revenue set aside for community development and Community Development Block Grant funds are among potential sources, Gonzalez said.

“There’s not going to be private grants out there,” he said. “You’re really going to have to be creative with finding the funding.”

Gonzalez said the University of Texas System Board of Regents’ decision to keep UTB downtown bodes well for downtown in general and Market Square in particular. Already more students are venturing downtown, he said.

“The importance of UTB staying where it is and growing into the urban fabric — you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a model that’s been replicated throughout the country. I know the city’s glad that UT made that decision.”

Market Square’s open-air market, with its distinctive, brick archways, was erected in 1852. It remained a working market until 1948, after which the city bricked in the archways and turned the building into city offices and City Commission chambers.

The BUS transit system moved into Market Square in 1984 — seen as a positive move at the time for a neglected area, Gonzalez said.

City hall vacated Market Square in 2007. The following year it was transferred to the Brownsville Historical Association on a 99-year lease under an agreement with then Mayor Eddie Treviño and the city.

The BHA opened its research center in Market Square in 2009 and began gradually renovating and occupying pieces of the complex. The permanent “Into the Wild West” exhibit, with pieces donated by the late Ben Edelstein, was installed in January 2010.

After BUS pulled out last year, BHA went to work on the market area itself.

Priscilla Rodriguez, BHA’s executive director, said a drop-down ceiling was removed to reveal the original ceiling. The interior was stripped down to the original brick walls and flooring as well. Market Square is essentially four buildings tacked together, she said.

“It was just amazing that so much of it was still intact,” Rodriguez said.

Wooden doors were custom-built for the archways. The first-floor renovation will be complete once the floors are sealed.

Rodriguez, BHA’s executive director, said Market Square’s hurricane-proof vaults are ideal for the nonprofit’s historic archives and collections. One vault houses BHA’s paper document and photo collection; another, its collection of historical objects, she said.

Before BHA moved into Market Square, these treasures were stuffed into a cramped space at the Stillman House complex with really no room for researchers, Rodriguez said.

Once the first floor is done, work will start on the second floor — empty now except for the occasional film crew. Rodriguez said the space will eventually serve as a rotating exhibition space for items from the archives, full of artifacts few people know exist.

“This is going to allow us to really showcase some of the awesome stuff we’re storing in our vault,” she said.

The second floor will also serve as a community meeting space. The original commission chambers will remain intact, meaning the mayor and City Commission can hold meetings there if they wish, Rodriguez said.

The mayor’s office, in fact, will eventually be installed in what once housed police and fire department headquarters — upstairs from what used to be the historic Texas Café and is now the Brownsville Heritage Office.

The total interior renovation should be complete within two years, Rodriguez said. The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is picking up the tab, around $180,000. It would likely be many times that if not for the architects and preservationists who have volunteered their time, Rodriguez said.

She said the space will be available free for certain events that are free and open to the public, though BHA also plans to rent it out for private events.

“We don’t want it dedicated to one particular function,” Rodriguez said. “We want it to be a flexible space.”

The whine of bus engines and the stench of diesel exhaust are gone; Market Square, the heart of the heart of Brownsville, is entering a new phase, one aimed at attracting more people.

The city of Brownsville is handling the exterior makeover for the historic downtown centerpiece, the oldest part of which was erected in 1850.

Two years ago, even before the Brownsville Urban System relocated its buses to the new transit terminal on International Boulevard, the city’s planning department solicited ideas from University of Texas at Brownsville architecture students as to “what this place could look like,” said Ramiro Gonzalez, comprehensive planning manager for the city.

“We have a draft conceptual plan that’s basically been vetted through all the stakeholders,” he said.

Stakeholders include the fire department, Brownsville Historical Association, the planning department itself — any official entity with an interest in Market Square.

What kind of trees to install, lighting, landscaping and other options will be hammered out in the next few weeks, Gonzalez said.

“All those details are being worked through right now,” he said. “That’s where the plan stands. Engineering wise, it’s pretty much done.”

Gonzalez said the makeover will include not just Market Square itself but the alleys leading up to it, on either end, from East 10th Street and East 14th Street.

Locating the money to pay for the renovation is the next task, he said.

Sales tax revenue set aside for community development and Community Development Block Grant funds are among potential sources, Gonzalez said.

“There’s not going to be private grants out there,” he said. “You’re really going to have to be creative with finding the funding.”

Gonzalez said the University of Texas System Board of Regents’ decision to keep UTB downtown bodes well for downtown in general and Market Square in particular. Already more students are venturing downtown, he said.

“The importance of UTB staying where it is and growing into the urban fabric — you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a model that’s been replicated throughout the country. I know the city’s glad that UT made that decision.”

Market Square’s open-air market, with its distinctive, brick archways, was erected in 1852. It remained a working market until 1948, after which the city bricked in the archways and turned the building into city offices and City Commission chambers.

The BUS transit system moved into Market Square in 1984 — seen as a positive move at the time for a neglected area, Gonzalez said.

City hall vacated Market Square in 2007. The following year it was transferred to the Brownsville Historical Association on a 99-year lease under an agreement with then Mayor Eddie Treviño and the city.

The BHA opened its research center in Market Square in 2009 and began gradually renovating and occupying pieces of the complex. The permanent “Into the Wild West” exhibit, with pieces donated by the late Ben Edelstein, was installed in January 2010.

After BUS pulled out last year, BHA went to work on the market area itself.

Priscilla Rodriguez, BHA’s executive director, said a drop-down ceiling was removed to reveal the original ceiling. The interior was stripped down to the original brick walls and flooring as well. Market Square is essentially four buildings tacked together, she said.

“It was just amazing that so much of it was still intact,” Rodriguez said.

Wooden doors were custom-built for the archways. The first-floor renovation will be complete once the floors are sealed.

Rodriguez, BHA’s executive director, said Market Square’s hurricane-proof vaults are ideal for the nonprofit’s historic archives and collections. One vault houses BHA’s paper document and photo collection; another, its collection of historical objects, she said.

Before BHA moved into Market Square, these treasures were stuffed into a cramped space at the Stillman House complex with really no room for researchers, Rodriguez said.

Once the first floor is done, work will start on the second floor — empty now except for the occasional film crew. Rodriguez said the space will eventually serve as a rotating exhibition space for items from the archives, full of artifacts few people know exist.

“This is going to allow us to really showcase some of the awesome stuff we’re storing in our vault,” she said.

The second floor will also serve as a community meeting space. The original commission chambers will remain intact, meaning the mayor and City Commission can hold meetings there if they wish, Rodriguez said.

The mayor’s office, in fact, will eventually be installed in what once housed police and fire department headquarters — upstairs from what used to be the historic Texas Café and is now the Brownsville Heritage Office.

The total interior renovation should be complete within two years, Rodriguez said. The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is picking up the tab, around $180,000. It would likely be many times that if not for the architects and preservationists who have volunteered their time, Rodriguez said.

She said the space will be available free for certain events that are free and open to the public, though BHA also plans to rent it out for private events.

“We don’t want it dedicated to one particular function,” Rodriguez said. “We want it to be a flexible space.”

Outdoor parties are a must for warm spring weather. If the weatherman’s forecast is correct, this weekend is a great time to host one. Round up your friends, but cover your bases first, including building an outdoor bar area.

So go on and scroll through our list of DIYs and get ready for party season.

Loading Slideshow

• Hang Outdoor Lights

  Not only are these easy to install, but ambient lighting is a great way to set the perfect mood for an outdoor party. The key to getting the lights to stay up? Screw-in or heavy-duty adhesive hooks. Just drape lights between hooks, making sure that the end plug is near an electrical source. For more details, head over to a href=”http://www.homeandgardenideas.com/outdoor-living/outdoor-decor/lighting/how-hang-string-lighting-outdoor-party” target=”_hplink”Home Garden Ideas/a.

• Create Container Gardens For Your Patio

  From porches to front yards, any space can benefit from a pot of pretty blooms — and your patio is no exception. The key is to use a lightweight soil mix, which will provide excellent drainage and aeration. Head over to a href=”http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/container-essentials/index.html” target=”_hplink”HGTV/a for all the details.

• Create An Outdoor Bar

  Spring weather is perfect for outdoor parties. But if you’re bothered by constantly running in and out to grab drinks, making an outdoor bar is a great solution. The easiest way? Positioning an inexpensive tiered rolling cart off to the side of your entertaining space. Simply stock the heaviest mixers (and extras) on the bottom level, unbreakable glasses or cups on the middle shelf and then line up bottles across the top of the cart, allowing enough space for mixing. Cut garnishes (lemon and limes) in advance, so guests can help themselves.

  For a full tutorial on how to create a great outdoor bar space, visit a href=”http://www.ehow.com/how_6396745_create-outside-home-bar.html
  ” target=”_hplink”eHow/a.

• Get Your Pool Ready

  Now’s the best time to set up your pool before the weather gets too hot (you should be relaxing in it, not working!) After sifting out the debris, give your pool cover a good cleaning before boxing it away. Then you’ll want to check the water and pH levels for good measure before firing up the pump. For more details and a step-by-step tutorial, swing on over to a href=”http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-get-your-pool-ready-for-summer” target=”_blank”Do It Yourself’s website/a.

• Clean Your Outdoor Umbrella

  If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your patio umbrella, then now is probably a good time. First you’ll want to pull the canvas/fabric off of its base and fill up a garbage bin with a mix of bleach and water (one cup of bleach for every gallon of water.) Let your cloth soak in the solution for fifteen minutes and scrub down the dirtiest parts. While it’s still wet, place it back on the base and make sure it expands (this way you avoid shrinking the material.) For an easy-to-follow visual guide, head on over to a href=”http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-clean-your-patio-umbrella.html” target=”_blank”DIY by Design’s tutorial/a.

• Build A Fire Pit

  It might take the whole weekend to finish, but the end result is something you can admire and use for years. The steps involve digging a trench, filling it will gravel and assembling the walls. For the step-by-step instructions, visit a href=”http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1636191,00.html” target=”_hplink”This Old House/a.

• Fix The Fence Gate

  Fence gates that sag into the ground can be difficult to open. First, check if the gate post (the pole that hinges to your gate) is wobbly. If that’s the case, then simply secure crushed stone around the post with a sledgehammer. However, if the post is rotten, you’ll to unhinge the gate, dig up the post and replace it. For the step-by-step guidelines, visit a href=”http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20284513,00.html” target=”_blank”The Family Handyman/a.

• Mow Your Lawn The Right Way

  Secure your goggles, keep your kids and pets indoors and fire up the lawn mower. The trick to achieving a nice even gloss is to glide your machine emacross/em the hill, not up and down. Also, be sure to avoid obstacles that get in the way (that includes sprinklers, people!) More details about this project can be found on a href=”http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-mow-your-lawn2.htm” target=”_blank”HowStuffWorks’ feature/a.

Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.

**

Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

Outdoor parties are a must for warm spring weather. If the weatherman’s forecast is correct, this weekend is a great time to host one. Round up your friends, but cover your bases first, including building an outdoor bar area.

So go on and scroll through our list of DIYs and get ready for party season.

Loading Slideshow

• Hang Outdoor Lights

  Not only are these easy to install, but ambient lighting is a great way to set the perfect mood for an outdoor party. The key to getting the lights to stay up? Screw-in or heavy-duty adhesive hooks. Just drape lights between hooks, making sure that the end plug is near an electrical source. For more details, head over to a href=”http://www.homeandgardenideas.com/outdoor-living/outdoor-decor/lighting/how-hang-string-lighting-outdoor-party” target=”_hplink”Home Garden Ideas/a.

• Create Container Gardens For Your Patio

  From porches to front yards, any space can benefit from a pot of pretty blooms — and your patio is no exception. The key is to use a lightweight soil mix, which will provide excellent drainage and aeration. Head over to a href=”http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/container-essentials/index.html” target=”_hplink”HGTV/a for all the details.

• Create An Outdoor Bar

  Spring weather is perfect for outdoor parties. But if you’re bothered by constantly running in and out to grab drinks, making an outdoor bar is a great solution. The easiest way? Positioning an inexpensive tiered rolling cart off to the side of your entertaining space. Simply stock the heaviest mixers (and extras) on the bottom level, unbreakable glasses or cups on the middle shelf and then line up bottles across the top of the cart, allowing enough space for mixing. Cut garnishes (lemon and limes) in advance, so guests can help themselves.

  For a full tutorial on how to create a great outdoor bar space, visit a href=”http://www.ehow.com/how_6396745_create-outside-home-bar.html
  ” target=”_hplink”eHow/a.

• Get Your Pool Ready

  Now’s the best time to set up your pool before the weather gets too hot (you should be relaxing in it, not working!) After sifting out the debris, give your pool cover a good cleaning before boxing it away. Then you’ll want to check the water and pH levels for good measure before firing up the pump. For more details and a step-by-step tutorial, swing on over to a href=”http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-get-your-pool-ready-for-summer” target=”_blank”Do It Yourself’s website/a.

• Clean Your Outdoor Umbrella

  If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your patio umbrella, then now is probably a good time. First you’ll want to pull the canvas/fabric off of its base and fill up a garbage bin with a mix of bleach and water (one cup of bleach for every gallon of water.) Let your cloth soak in the solution for fifteen minutes and scrub down the dirtiest parts. While it’s still wet, place it back on the base and make sure it expands (this way you avoid shrinking the material.) For an easy-to-follow visual guide, head on over to a href=”http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-clean-your-patio-umbrella.html” target=”_blank”DIY by Design’s tutorial/a.

• Build A Fire Pit

  It might take the whole weekend to finish, but the end result is something you can admire and use for years. The steps involve digging a trench, filling it will gravel and assembling the walls. For the step-by-step instructions, visit a href=”http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1636191,00.html” target=”_hplink”This Old House/a.

• Fix The Fence Gate

  Fence gates that sag into the ground can be difficult to open. First, check if the gate post (the pole that hinges to your gate) is wobbly. If that’s the case, then simply secure crushed stone around the post with a sledgehammer. However, if the post is rotten, you’ll to unhinge the gate, dig up the post and replace it. For the step-by-step guidelines, visit a href=”http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20284513,00.html” target=”_blank”The Family Handyman/a.

• Mow Your Lawn The Right Way

  Secure your goggles, keep your kids and pets indoors and fire up the lawn mower. The trick to achieving a nice even gloss is to glide your machine emacross/em the hill, not up and down. Also, be sure to avoid obstacles that get in the way (that includes sprinklers, people!) More details about this project can be found on a href=”http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-mow-your-lawn2.htm” target=”_blank”HowStuffWorks’ feature/a.

Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.

**

Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

San Antonio Water System is dangling $100 coupons to entice customers to replace lawn grass with drought-tolerant plants. The Watersaver Landscape Coupon pilot program, which will begin rolling out Saturday, is intended to subsidize the conversion of a 200-square-foot grass area to xeriscape.

SAWS customers can begin applying for the coupons Saturday at the Festival of Flowers, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Alzafar Shrine, 901 N. Loop 1604 West. Beginning June 1, applications will be available at www.saws.org and by calling 210-704-7283.

Once the application is approved, customers will receive the $100 coupon, which they can use at a participating nursery. Retailers will be listed at www.saws.org. So far, H-E-B Texas BackYard, Milberger’s Nursery, Rainbow Gardens on Bandera Road and the Arrangement Landscape have agreed to accept the coupons.

Under the program, applicants agree to replace the chunk of lawn with 15 plants chosen from a list of 16 specified by SAWS and purchased from a participating nursery. They also must mulch the planting area and cap any automatic sprinkler heads in that section of their yard.

SAWS conservation director Karen Guz likens the process to paint by numbers for the garden. Narrowing the plant choices, she said, will be especially helpful for those new to gardening in the area.

“There is an infinite variety of plants that could have gone into these two packages,” Guz said. The 16 options that made it were chosen for hardiness and availability from growers. Those selections are divided between two packages, one for sun and one for part-shade. Within each package, the plants are broken into three categories. Homeowners will choose seven plants classified as small evergreens, seven in the spreading perennial category and one large shrub.

The planting could include almost everything on the list or as few as three varieties — one from each category. SAWS will offer layout ideas for different 200-square-foot configurations and will provide information about plants on the lists.

Final cost of the package will vary by retailer and by the size of plants selected.

A survey last week of participating retailers showed that at the Arrangement Landscape, the packages start at about $130, before tax, for 1-gallon plants chosen for sun and 14 bags of hardwood mulch. At Milberger’s, a similar package of 1-gallon plants for part-sun and bagged mulch priced out at about $156.

“We are trying to lower people’s upfront costs and give them the opportunity to get a significant discount off the materials they need to make a transformation in their landscape,” Guz said.

The bigger goal is to conserve water. Total water savings will depend on how liberally homeowners had been irrigating their grass.

“Irrigated landscapes can use … anywhere from 10 to 100 times more” than the 6,000-gallon monthly average for SAWS residential customers, said SAWS conservation manager Dana Nichols. “We have plenty of people who are using 60,000 to 200,000 gallons a month. The difference is landscaping. The indoor use is about the same.”

The specified plants need only hand watering to get established, then little if any water to survive, Nichols said.

“Our direction is to hand water. It’s more effective than running a sprinkler system on new plants, and it just doesn’t take much water at all.”

SAWS officials hope to enroll about 1,000 customers in the coupon pilot. And they envision having as many as four similar offers throughout the year, Nichols said.

SAWS staff will visit the homes to make sure plants are used as intended, and the utility also offers consultations for those needing guidance about plant choices.

“If you’re new to the city or new to gardening, take advantage of the consultation to choose plants best for your microclimate,” Nichols said.

Call 210-704-7283 to schedule a SAWS consultation.

tlehmann@
express-news.net

San Antonio Water System is dangling $100 coupons to entice customers to replace lawn grass with drought-tolerant plants. The Watersaver Landscape Coupon pilot program, which will begin rolling out Saturday, is intended to subsidize the conversion of a 200-square-foot grass area to xeriscape.

SAWS customers can begin applying for the coupons Saturday at the Festival of Flowers, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Alzafar Shrine, 901 N. Loop 1604 West. Beginning June 1, applications will be available at www.saws.org and by calling 210-704-7283.

Once the application is approved, customers will receive the $100 coupon, which they can use at a participating nursery. Retailers will be listed at www.saws.org. So far, H-E-B Texas BackYard, Milberger’s Nursery, Rainbow Gardens on Bandera Road and the Arrangement Landscape have agreed to accept the coupons.

Under the program, applicants agree to replace the chunk of lawn with 15 plants chosen from a list of 16 specified by SAWS and purchased from a participating nursery. They also must mulch the planting area and cap any automatic sprinkler heads in that section of their yard.

SAWS conservation director Karen Guz likens the process to paint by numbers for the garden. Narrowing the plant choices, she said, will be especially helpful for those new to gardening in the area.

“There is an infinite variety of plants that could have gone into these two packages,” Guz said. The 16 options that made it were chosen for hardiness and availability from growers. Those selections are divided between two packages, one for sun and one for part-shade. Within each package, the plants are broken into three categories. Homeowners will choose seven plants classified as small evergreens, seven in the spreading perennial category and one large shrub.

The planting could include almost everything on the list or as few as three varieties — one from each category. SAWS will offer layout ideas for different 200-square-foot configurations and will provide information about plants on the lists.

Final cost of the package will vary by retailer and by the size of plants selected.

A survey last week of participating retailers showed that at the Arrangement Landscape, the packages start at about $130, before tax, for 1-gallon plants chosen for sun and 14 bags of hardwood mulch. At Milberger’s, a similar package of 1-gallon plants for part-sun and bagged mulch priced out at about $156.

“We are trying to lower people’s upfront costs and give them the opportunity to get a significant discount off the materials they need to make a transformation in their landscape,” Guz said.

The bigger goal is to conserve water. Total water savings will depend on how liberally homeowners had been irrigating their grass.

“Irrigated landscapes can use … anywhere from 10 to 100 times more” than the 6,000-gallon monthly average for SAWS residential customers, said SAWS conservation manager Dana Nichols. “We have plenty of people who are using 60,000 to 200,000 gallons a month. The difference is landscaping. The indoor use is about the same.”

The specified plants need only hand watering to get established, then little if any water to survive, Nichols said.

“Our direction is to hand water. It’s more effective than running a sprinkler system on new plants, and it just doesn’t take much water at all.”

SAWS officials hope to enroll about 1,000 customers in the coupon pilot. And they envision having as many as four similar offers throughout the year, Nichols said.

SAWS staff will visit the homes to make sure plants are used as intended, and the utility also offers consultations for those needing guidance about plant choices.

“If you’re new to the city or new to gardening, take advantage of the consultation to choose plants best for your microclimate,” Nichols said.

Call 210-704-7283 to schedule a SAWS consultation.

tlehmann@
express-news.net

Think about a garden with a patchwork of colors and whimsical form, working in harmony with the natural environment. Ponder an eclectic use of textures and geometric shapes, all coming together to complete a botanical “quilt.”

Concepts like these keep Sandra Beebe busy during the warmer months, when she’s not at work inside her house making ornate fabric quilts. This longtime Boisean draws from her vast quilting experience to create an eclectic garden space that accentuates her East End Victorian-era home just off Warm Springs Avenue.

“Gardening, like quilting, is about dividing it up into color and function. In your yard, you’re essentially working with patterns,” Beebe explains, pointing at a cluster of ready-to-burst delphiniums, skirted by a locally hewn sandstone-block border that leads to a small pond.

She has created an environment around her house that is both floral and edible, based on a belief that home gardens should produce food as well as ornamental plants. Her property is an amalgam of flowering fruit trees, mature rose bushes, perennial flowers, berry brambles, raised vegetable beds and scattered-about culinary herbs.

“I’m a haphazard gardener. I do what I feel like,” Beebe says.

“I’m open to anything. I just planted some hops next to my garage. I like the way they creep up like ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.'”

Her yard, which boasts a colorful array of native and non-native plants, has a country feel to it, especially for being so close to Downtown Boise.

“I told my daughter that I wanted five acres in the city. Well, I came close,” she says with a chuckle, surveying her almost one-acre property near the Boise River.

In 2006, Beebe purchased the two-story Queen Anne-style house (built in 1898) after living in the same neighborhood and admiring the place for many years. But not long after moving into her new digs, she realized the landscaping needed a serious overhaul.

“The yard was an unfriendly, uninviting place. I tore down a big, ugly fence that was blocking the flow from the front yard to the back, and there was an oak tree I had to remove to make some light for my vegetable garden,” Beebe recalls.

“But the yard had good bones, you know, a good structure to work with.”

In order to get her yard in balance, Beebe hired her close friend Nancy Day of Cottage Gardeners (cottagegardeners.com), a Boise company that specializes in landscaping and garden design, to join the evolving project.

“I helped her more with plant selection and maintenance than I did with the actual design of her garden,” Day says.

“Sandra is an artist. Because of her quilting background, she understands the importance of color, and she’s an excellent gardener.”

There is a reason why Beebe and Day carry on like old friends: The two used to run in the same circles back in their younger days when they were growing up in Southwest Portland, a much wetter climate than the high desert of Boise.

Day often works on projects that involve mature landscaping, typically found in the yards of older houses. She told Beebe what she tells her other clients when they buy a home that’s been around for decades.

“People have to think about how to use the existing plants, or if they want to use them at all. This can sometimes be a challenge, ” Day says.

In Beebe’s case, it was all about her and Day coming up with a master plan, one that included supplementing what was already growing there.

“Some things came with the house, and I wanted to work those into my landscaping ideas,” Beebe says.

She also had creative input from family members, like her daughter and son-in-law, Heidi Beebe and Doug Skidmore, who are both architects. They designed and built the garden space – four sections of raised vegetable beds, with a spiral of grass – in the front yard. This is the spot in Beebe’s yard with the heaviest output of food production, even though there are edible plants everywhere around her house.

“I grow more zucchini than most people would even want to, because my daughter makes these delicious stuffed squash blossoms with them,” she says.

Beebe also grows strawberries, green beans, basil, radishes, carrots, tomatillo-like ground cherries and a variety of heirloom tomatoes, to name a few, some of which get canned in the late summer.

Her yard is not without its natural enemies, though. Beebe’s dog, a friendly yellow Lab named Ruby, if left unattended, is capable of mass destruction.

“She likes to dig and chew on stuff, and occasionally she jumps in the pond,” Beebe says, looking down at a trench that Ruby recently scooped out in one of the raised beds.

Outsmarting the deer is an ongoing game for homeowners near the Boise River as well.

“Everyone around here has no tulips because the deer eat the buds before they can bloom,” Beebe states.

A few years back, Beebe commissioned local iron artists to fabricate a front gate and fence, a rustic creation that looks like giant blades of grass, but that doesn’t always keep hungry deer from dining in her yard.

“They eventually got in and ate some flowers,” she says.

Beebe admits there aren’t as many unknowns in quilting as there are in gardening. When it comes to the garden, though, she believes in just going with the natural flow of the seasons, considering each year presents its own set of problems, and seeing how things pan out.

“I do try to keep a notebook for garden journaling, but I don’t always get my ideas down on paper,” Beebe says.

“But my garden usually turns out pretty good.”

EDMOND —
Conceptual ideas about how the City of Edmond may plan for downtown development were shared this week by David Forrest with members of the business community.

The Central Edmond Urban Development Board has revisited plans made in a 1998 Downtown Master Plan through public meetings and presentations to protect the future development of Broadway. Recommendations by the group will be taken into account by future city councils.

The 2012-13 city budget included $150,000 for a downtown feasibility study that will pay for a consultant, said Steve Commons, assistant city manager.

“In terms of the selection process, there was a committee that reviewed it. They’ve selected a firm to proceed forward,” Commons said. “That means we’ll develop a scope of work to give to them and then say, ‘price this scope of work.’”

The formal hiring of the consulting firm by the City Council is expected within a 60 days, Forrest said at the 4 o’clock Forecast event presented by the Edmond Economic Development Authority.

Edmond’s Central Business District area goes from Danforth to Ninth Street, to slightly west of the railroad tracks and then borders the University of Central Oklahoma and then to Ninth Street and Boulevard, said Janet Yowell, EEDA executive director.

Streetscaping, landscaping and the Festival Market Place are recommendations that have already come to fruition from the 1998 Downtown Master Plan process.

The Downtown Master Plan considers water features and a possible railway transit station being studied for an area south of Edmond Road and west of Broadway, said Forrest, a commercial Realtor. A traffic circle is recommended to be at Fifth Street and Broadway to signal people they are entering the downtown district, Forrest said.

“We also need the real infrastructure that will carry more development,” Forrest said. “That would be sewer, water and more utilities as well.”

Another idea is to make downtown more pedestrian friendly with fewer cars. An illustration showed cars parking diagonally down the middle of the street with the current two lane traffic on both sides reduced to single lanes.

David Chapman said Boulevard “is a scary place” south of Danforth.

“Navigating that Boulevard seems to me as big a problem as choking off Broadway for the few blocks you need downtown,” Chapman said.

Forrest agreed that calming the downtown traffic could put more traffic on Boulevard.

The proposed Pedestrian Bridge is also part of the master plan, Forrest said. The bridge would be east of the railroad tracks crossing West Edmond Road where it would link to more parking, he said.

In 2009 the Benham Company presented a bridge design that would cost the city a little more than $1 million, which also includes a $485,000 new parking lot with 142 spaces on the south side of West Edmond Road just west of Broadway. The cost of the bridge itself was projected at $565,500 in 2009. That project was delayed at the time in light of the need to pay for a new Public Safety Center, which is now being paid for by a half-cent dedicated sales tax.

Forrest said none of these ideas are concrete, but the city hopes a consultant will provide information and ideas on how to shepherd future downtown development.

SANFORD — The front entrance of Sunset Tower is getting a facelift, and it’s nearly complete.

Located on Main Street, Sunset Tower is a very visible part of the downtown area, and the entrance of the eight-story building had become rather “tired looking,” said William G. Keefer, the executive director of the Sanford Housing Authority (SHA), which owns and operates the building.

Each year, Keefer said, SHA allocates $130,000 for capital improvements for Sunset Tower and East Side Acres, a 48-unit apartment complex on Emery, Bates, Bowdoin, Harvard and Yales streets in Sanford. This year, SHA decided to use some of that fund to renovate the entrance to Sunset Tower.

SHA hired an architect to design the new entrance and construction work began on the $106,000 project a few months ago. Keefer said the contractor hopes to complete the project by the first week of June.

The design includes two ramps for handicap accessibility and new pole lights should be in place by the end of this week. Keefer said the landscaping will include new red maple trees purchased from Waban Projects and that SHA will talk to residents about other landscaping ideas.

Sunset Tower was built in the early 1970s, Keefer said, and has 74 units — efficiency and one-bedroom apartments — for senior citizens and/or disabled residents.

The Sanford Housing Authority serves Sanford, Springvale and the surrounding towns of Alfred, Kennebunk, Lebanon, North Berwick, Wells, Shapleigh and Acton.