Years ago, Chantal Foretich visited a bar and wanted to remember it, so she made a small model of the interior. “It was very thrilling,” Foretich said.

That art project evolved, over the years, into a series of what Foretich calls “shrunken vistas.” She creates small buildings or scenes with motorized parts that sometimes reference real places, sometimes literary places, and sometimes “psychological places.”

Foretich, of New York City, is one of six artists-in-residence at IPark, a 450-acre wooded artists’ retreat in East Haddam. IPark is holding an Open House on Sunday, Nov. 24, to show off the sculpture-dotted grounds of the huge wooded complex and let members of the public meet the artists.

Francisco Lopez is another artist at IPark. He lives in Matamoros, Mexico, and works as an architect. At IPark, he is building a small scale model of a treehouse using sticks and painted aluminum mesh.

“I love IPark. I like the seclusion. It allows you to think and focus on a single project or on research,” Lopez said. “You have the freedom that you’re not obliged to produce anything, but being here, you end up creating and producing and exchanging ideas with the other artists.”

IPark accepts six artists for four-week residencies from April to December, including writers, musicians, visual, video and sound artists, architects and landscape and garden designers. No pressure is put on them. They just are allowed to be, to create if they choose, to research if they choose.

All of the artists there now embrace the isolation as an opportunity to immerse themselves in work.

Ann Oren, who lives in New York, is creating a video at IPark, which depicts a reality show whose contestants are trees with human personalities. Oren, who has done residencies in Berlin, Iceland and others in the United States, says residencies “pick you up out of your normal environment.

“I don’t know if they pull you out of your reality or draw you deeper into reality,” she said. “But it changes your habits and manners of thinking. When you change your everyday arrangement, you have to do something else with your mind.”

Lee Hunter of New York also is creating a video, an abstract animated one, but is using most of her time at IPark to read, write and research for future projects. “It’s equally important for me to do that as it is to create objects,” she said.

Daniel Luchman of Pittsburgh is using his IPark time to edit projects and write. Leland Cheuk of New York is writing, too, a novel set among standup comics.

“This residency is an amazing act of generosity,” Cheuk said. “Making art, out in the world, is not always treated as something of value. In this world it seems kind of trivial. But not here.”

Foretich agrees. “I’m in shock that residencies exist at all,” she said. “It’s critical to an artist to really think about what you’re doing.”

Founding Of IPark

IPark was co-founded by Ralph Crispino and Joanne Paradis. Crispino is president of Superior Products Distributors in Southington. Paradis worked for Superior Products as a corporate credit manager. Crispino got an idea in the early ’90s of creating a refuge where artists can let their creativity run free.

“My philosophy is that there are a lot of great ideas and a lot of great activity out there, but a lack of depth and development,” Crispino said. “There’s a high state of noncompletion in the rush to the market. If people had more time … Maybe the idea was naive, but I wanted to look into it more.”

He did, and in 1998 he bought the 450-acre parcel, which had been owned by the same family for generations. From 1998 to 2001, he and Paradis, who shared his vision, spruced up the property, updating the 2,800-square-foot main house and turning chicken coops into small artist studios.

“After that, we started thinking about how do we create a residency program?” Paradis, now IPark’s executive director, said. “An artist from Serbia … Ivan Albrecht … became our pusher. He said ‘let’s do it and stop just thinking about it.’ It would have happened anyway, but he was goading us.”

The first “class,” in 2001, had four artists. In the ensuing years, the classes have grown to six artists each, from all over the world. They live in the main house and work whatever hours they choose in their assigned studios.

A residency manager takes care of the house, and a chef comes in four days a week. Artists are not paid to participate in IPark, they just have all their needs met for four weeks. The application fee is $30 and artists pay their own travel expenses. IPark is nonprofit.

“We give them privacy and peacefulness,” Paradis said. “There is no requirement to produce work. We just want them to have a place to think.”

The Grounds

Many artists leave work behind when they are done at IPark. Visitors during Open Studios can wander the grounds and will see quirky artistic landscaping and may come across a variety of delightful and surprising pieces.

Poet Sara Hughes left bottles with poems in them hidden throughout the grounds: “Beyond the churchyard cemetery, pines stretch their necks under a topaz sun, and dirt paths wind deep into the woods like a man’s fingers in a woman’s hair.”

In the pond, German sculptor Roger Rigorth left floating sculptures called “Wings for IPark.” Chad Cunha of New York left “Waterproof,” a floating sound installation accessible by rowboat. Russian installation artist Ted Efremoff left a “floating living room,” near sound installations inside two small shacks.

British sound artist Michael Fairfax turned five trees into “ear harps,” stringed instruments that can be heard only when the ear is pressed to the tree. Cypriot sculptor Tatiana Ferahian strung a circular pattern of multicolored sunglass lenses between two trees, held together by almost invisible cords.

Two extraordinary installations are the “creatures tree” and “bird tree” by Tatiana Nikolaenko of Russia. They show fantastical ceramic creatures climbing up the trees.

Crispino and Paradis know that weather probably will destroy many of the works over time. They’re OK with that. “Everything is ephemeral,” Paradis said. “Some things are more, some things are less, but everything is ephemeral.”

IPARK OPEN HOUSE is Sunday, Nov. 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. at 428 Hopyard Road in East Haddam. Admission is free. Details about the park, and information about how to apply for a residency: http://www.i-park.org.

A lot of words and phrases could be used to describe downtown Pismo Beach: funky, eclectic, fun and friendly are just a few.

The Chamber of Commerce uses “Classic California,” its catch phrase to describe the nostalgic, throw-back feel of a 1950s and ’60s beach town.

It’s board shorts and flip-flops, not suits and ties. And it’s definitely “not L.A.”

The city’s Planning Department and RRM Design Group of San Luis Obispo are working to develop a Downtown Vision and Strategic Plan to fit the city’s image, and they held a meeting Wednesday to find out what residents and business owners think.

What they got was an earful of comments and ideas, some popular, some not so much, and others surprising.

While the planning process divided conversation into several topics — the Essence of Pismo, Circulation and Parking, the pier and plaza, buildings and architecture, Pismo Tomorrow and branding the city — ideas and images expressed by the roughly 50 people attending the workshop were a mixture of cohesive and contrary.

Some of the more popular ideas were developing an amphitheater and plaza at the foot of Pismo Pier, adding a movie theater, more landscaping, trees and lighting, and further enhancing the Classic California image.

A few suggestions that didn’t receive much support were more uniform buildings, architecture and paving, marketing the city as the gateway to the Edna Valley wine country, encouraging the use of neon in downtown business signs and, surprisingly, marketing the town as the Clam Capital of the World.

“We have a good section of the community with some residents and some business owners and some visitors,” said Debbie Rudd, a principal with RRM who ran the workshop. “Great comments. Great ideas. Not all agreeing, but really good, strong ideas that I think can be worked into a vision for the downtown and a vision plan for the downtown.

“I was surprised about Clam Capital, because of the history, that there wasn’t more of an identification for the people.”

This isn’t the first time Pismo Beach has worked to develop a plan for its downtown.

Local historian Effie McDermott, who recently authored a book tracing the city’s long and colorful past in photographs, said there have been several efforts, the first beginning in the early 1980s.

That particular vision included a large hotel at the pier, among other improvements.

Even though those plans have changed over the years, she said the town has benefited from previous long-range planning efforts.

“There are many things on this map that didn’t exist when we first started this,” McDermott said, pointing to an aerial photograph of the downtown area used in the discussion.

“The seawall, the plaza, the boardwalk, the diamond pier — there are things that weren’t there before. We always come up with a little something each time.”

Even though the plan was to come up with a future vision of downtown Pismo Beach, many residents’ views included preserving, and even redeveloping, the city’s past.

There wasn’t much support for ridding the city of its eclectic mix of buildings by developing uniform architecture standards. Instead, the idea of going “back the future” was popular.

Suggestions of preserving the city’s small-town charm, its historical buildings and even re-creating such iconic structures as the El Pizmo Inn and the Ferris wheel briefly featured near the foot of the pier were popular concepts.

“I think we just need to not focus on what we want to be,” said Nathan Allan, the only person at the workshop who lives in the downtown core. “I think we need to focus on what we are, which is Classic California. We don’t need any more buildings. We don’t need any more big towers.

“I just think the main focus is to slow down and preserve what is here and just let everyone else build and ruin their cities and keep Pismo, Pismo.”

Rudd said RRM will take the comments, along with others gained from meetings with other individuals and civic groups, and return to the city with a draft plan.

No date for that return has been set. Rudd said it would probably be early spring 2014.

LINCOLN — A preliminary proposal to revise Nebraska’s tax system is getting a mix of kudos and criticism, generating little consensus.

While those who represent retirees and low-income groups say the plan would help people afford to live in Nebraska, officials with business, farm and conservative groups say it’s far from ambitious.

“If we’re going to go through this exercise, we ought to do it with purpose and to make Nebraska more competitive,” said Joseph Young of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, which supports cuts in income taxes. “Let’s make a more significant impact than this approach.”

Said Steve Nelson of the Nebraska Farm Bureau: “We really need to do a lot more with the issues related to property tax.”

Last week a committee of 14 lawmakers looking at possible state tax revisions agreed to study nine possibilities. The goal of the Tax Modernization Committee is to craft a fairer tax system.

The list of proposals amounts to a tax shift of about $60 million, a pretty modest amount compared with the $6.8 billion a year in taxes collected by state and local governments.

The list of beneficiaries is broad — from retirees to farm implement dealers to property taxpayers to corporations — though no group would get a windfall in tax cuts.

But even among state senators who generally agree on the ideas, there were stark differences of opinion about things like tapping the state’s cash reserves or imposing higher taxes on the rich.

State Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney, committee chairman, called the proposal a “package of ideas” that is a starting point for more discussion.

He said it addresses concerns about high property taxes and unfair taxes on retirees. The complaints have festered for several years, Hadley said, so it’s unreasonable to expect the Legislature to correct them in one year.

“It’s an evolutionary approach to fixing our problems rather than a revolutionary approach,” Hadley said. “It’s a start. We can’t do everything at once.”

A representative of the Lincoln-based Open Sky Policy Institute said the measured approach is a wise one.

“We don’t need to take an economy that’s better than the rest of the country and turn it on its head,” said Renee Fry of Open Sky.

Fry said Kansas adopted tax changes and ended up facing a budget deficit, with little economic growth.

The tax study grew out of the ashes of a bold plan by Gov. Dave Heineman for Nebraska to join nine states that levy no state income taxes.

But Heineman’s route to tax nirvana caused an uproar among business, farm and nonprofit groups. Taxes would have been shifted onto previously tax-xempt hospital beds, business inputs, farm chemicals and seeds. The plan was swiftly killed.

The governor has since joined business groups and the Platte Institute in calling for cuts in income tax rates for individuals and corporations, saying Nebraska’s rates are too high and not competitive with rates in neighboring states.

Heineman declined to comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the governor said the Tax Modernization Committee’s ideas aren’t a final plan yet.

But representatives of the Platte Institute, as well as the Omaha and state chambers of commerce, said while they like the small adjustments in individual and corporate income taxes, Hadley’s ideas don’t go far enough.

They have all pointed to Nebraska’s No. 34 ranking in state business climate by the Tax Foundation as “mediocre” and a sign that the state has a handicap in attracting high-paying jobs and keeping young people from moving away.

“As far as being effective in moving Nebraska in any rankings, it won’t do it,” said Barry Kennedy of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a major player on state policies.

The state chamber wants cuts in the top individual income tax rate, from 6.84 percent to below 6 percent. It wants the top corporate income tax rate, now at 7.81 percent, to make a similar drop.

The Platte Institute wants those rates even lower, to 5.5 percent, but the tax committee’s ideas don’t call for such reductions.

“This (plan) is not a game changer to make Nebraska more competitive,” said Jim Vokal of the Platte Institute.

The tax ideas have some fans.

Representatives of AARP, which speaks for retirees, and the Appleseed Center, which lobbies for low-income Nebraskans, said they appreciate the proposal because it makes the state tax system less regressive.

Unlike some states, Nebraska taxes utility bills, but a proposed refundable energy tax credit would give about 50,000 lower-income residents a break on those expenses.

The Tax Modernization Committee’s ideas include raising the income threshold at which Social Security income is taxable — from the current $25,000 for an individual and $32,000 for a married couple to $30,000 and $37,000, respectively. It would be the first change to those income brackets in three decades.

Mark Intermill of AARP said the change would reflect the impact of inflation since 1984. Along with a tax break on electric and gas bills, he said, it would help make the overall tax system fairer.

He cited a recent “Who Pays” report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that called Nebraska’s tax system slightly regressive, with the lowest 20 percent of income earners paying about 11 percent of their income in taxes, while those in the top 1 percent pay about 2 percent.

“Anything that would target relief to lower-income groups would equalize the tax burden across income groups,” Intermill said.

Steve Nelson of the Nebraska Farm Bureau said his group wants to see cuts in local property taxes of more than $405million, about a 12 percent cut. But he added that such major cuts would take more than one year.

Making big changes will be complicated in 2014 because the Legislature meets in a short 60-day session, seven of the 49 senators are up for re-election, and Heineman will be a lame duck in his last year in office.

There’s also a controversial mix of issues to be dealt with, including proposed Medicaid expansion, that could deliver time-killing filibusters and divert attention from tax changes.

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Changes under consideration by the Tax Modernization Committee

Return an additional $30 million to taxpayers through an existing property tax credit program. On a home valued at $100,000 for tax purposes, it would add $15 to $20 to the $66 credit that a homeowner will get this year. Lawmakers said that it would be only a one-year tax savings and that the entire property tax credit program should be reviewed. The committee is also considering an alternative that would increase state aid to schools by $30 million.

Impose $60 million in new sales taxes on previously tax-exempt services. Exactly which services would be taxed wasn’t spelled out, but the committee has talked about taxing auto repair labor, landscaping services, haircuts and funeral services, and not services used by businesses.

Provide a sales tax exemption on repair parts for farm machinery — a $9.7 million tax savings that has long been sought by implement dealers and farm groups.

Index income tax brackets for inflation — a mostly revenue-neutral move to ensure that lower- and middle-income taxpayers don’t end up subject to higher tax rates because their incomes rise. The state’s highest income tax rate, 6.84 percent, kicks in at $54,000 of income for a married couple filing jointly — a threshold that has been criticized as too low.

Raise the income threshold at which Nebraskans must pay taxes on Social Security income, providing about $8 million in tax savings for retirees. Right now, the first $25,000 of income for an individual, and $32,000 for a couple, is exempt. But several states totally exempt such income, which leads to low ratings for Nebraska on tax friendliness for retirees.

Provide a refundable energy tax credit for low-income Nebraskans, supplying about $4.5 million in tax savings to about 50,000 households.

Adjust corporate income tax brackets so the highest rate doesn’t kick in until after $250,000 in annual income. That would provide about $5 million in tax savings for smaller businesses.

Provide about $6 million in one-time aid to counties to offset the higher costs of the state’s new juvenile justice program, which shifted significant costs from the state to counties.

Cap itemized income tax deductions at $25,000 for Nebraskans with adjusted gross incomes of $400,000 or more, which would raise about $9million in new tax revenue. The proposal would affect about one-half of 1 percent of the state’s taxpayers, said Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha. The idea, he said, was prompted by the federal government’s tax increase on the wealthiest Americans, but Mello has said he doesn’t think the idea will be adopted.

JEFFERSON — The long-awaited new Jefferson High School greenhouse is now complete, save some landscaping, furnishing and equipment, and backers have raised $130,000 for the project.

Thanks to outstanding community support for the project and the generosity of the contractors who worked on it, the Jefferson High School Agriculture Advisory Committee will not have to borrow $50,000 as planned to complete the $127,000 facility, but will be able to pay for it through existing funds and donations.

Backers still are accepting donations, however, for the furnishings and equipment for the greenhouse and toward the maintenance of the facility in the future.

Work began on the project in the first week of school and wrapped up, except for landscaping and final details, at the close of last month.

The new greenhouse is a joint venture, with a majority of the funding coming from donations and the rest from the School District of Jefferson.

The district’s board of education approved the $127,000 greenhouse project earlier this year. At that time, the school board set aside $50,000 in district funds toward the project and another $50,000 to be loaned to the Agriculture Advisory Committee. That loan will not be necessary, however, said advisory panel representative Dale Gaugert.

This project started with the need for a new greenhouse, Gaugert said. The school’s existing greenhouse was much smaller and very outdated and its infrastructure had reached the end of its useful life.

A new greenhouse was included in the first proposed Jefferson High School redesign, but that referendum failed, and the later referendum that did pass did not include a new greenhouse.

The need remained, however.

So in the last year or so, the Jefferson High School Agriculture Advisory Committee formed to address program needs, top among them a new greenhouse.

The group included a wide representation from the schools and community, with local farmers and businesspeople, school administrators, graduates of the Jefferson High School agriculture program, parents and other interested community members.

Former Superintendent Mike Swartz and his wife Sandy, former head of the district’s character education program, took an active role in assisting the committee, and although the Swartzes since have retired, they have continued their support from the sidelines.

Mark Rollefson, new Jefferson High School principal, also has been involved with the later part of the process.

The ag committee approached the school board last spring with a proposal to do the major fundraising for the new greenhouse if the school district agreed to take on the project.

The school board agreed that the district would invest $50,000 in the structure and to lend the ag panel another $50,000 to be paid back within three years. As it turns out, community support has been so strong the loan was not needed.

An Edgerton company constructed the prefabricated greenhouse itself, and Gaugert said he “negotiated pretty hard” with that company to discount the original asking price by $5,000 to keep the facility within the budget the ag committee felt it could handle.

Then Gaugert personally approached the local contractors to ask if they would donate or discount their services to help get the project done.

“They were very generous,” Gaugert said.

Gallitz Grading did the primary site work, dug the hole for the new greenhouse and brought in the big excavating machinery.

Dodge Concrete supplied materials, while Koenig Concrete did finish work.

Luedtke Plumbing, Current Electric, Jefferson Glass and mason Merlin Lange also contributed their services, all of these businesses donating their work to at least to some degree.

Ground Affects Landscaping is the last contractor at work on the project, as they could only begin when the others finished.

“That’s over $26,000 of in-kind contributions,” Gaugert said.

Meanwhile, community backers raised $55,650 toward the project, Gaugert said, including a large donation of $15,000 from the Jefferson FFA Alumni.

“We got $5,000 from a couple different people, actually several farmers contributed $1,000,” Gaugert said, recalling sitting around the table with a farm family, talking with them for an hour or so and walking away with a check for $4,000.

Gaugert said that these contributions put the project in very good stead, although the group still is raising money for equipment and furnishings inside the greenhouse.

“And if we get more than we need for the greenhouse, we’ll set that aside for maintenance costs going along with the new greenhouse,” Gaugert said.

A community dedication and open house reception for the new greenhouse is slated to take place during National FFA Week in February. More details on the timing will be released later.

Gaugert, a 1958 graduate of Jefferson High School, said that he got involved in the project as a longtime employee and a recent retiree from the John Deere Corp.

“There was no general contractor. Everybody was calling me to set things up — but we got through it,” Gaugert said. “I had the designs, and all of the contractors met up front at the Wayside Inn so they were all on the same page.”

Gaugert called the greenhouse project a tremendous example of the community banding together for everyone’s benefit.

Already, the partnership has created connections across the local area. For example, Gaugert said, the project has put new agriculture instructor Sarah Whitley in contact with folks from the local agribusiness community and has spurred ideas for potential uses for the greenhouse, which benefit the whole community.

Gaugert said he also has been in touch with the agriculture instructor with the Waunakee schools, which recently built a new greenhouse. This teacher was able to provide good ideas about how to approach the project — and also some ideas of what not to do.

“This is a big project,” Gaugert said of the greenhouse endeavor. “We as a school district and as a community are investing a lot of money in the new greenhouse, and we want to see the facility utilized year-round, not just one season of the year.”

“This is just a fantastic opportunity for students and for me as a teacher,” said Whitley, the new agriculture teacher. “A greenhouse is the best way to teach several agriculture classes in a hands-on way.”

The new greenhouse is significantly larger than the old one (30-by-60 feet versus 10-by-24) and much more flexible in terms of student needs.

It is heated with gas, with cooling during the summer done through vents and exhaust fans.

Lavern Georgson, who served as agriculture instructor at Jefferson High School for many years, retiring last June, said that the old greenhouse was small and outdated and had outlived its life expectancy.

It could no longer maintain the proper temperature for plant growth, he said. Its mechanicals were outdated and could not be serviced, and its ventilation was inadequate. It had no headhouse and inadequate supply storage, he said, and its glass was in bad condition and inefficient, leading to higher energy costs.

The project has been on the docket for years, Georgson said.

He noted that the larger greenhouse will give students a work area, storage for potting materials and soils, a much greater growing area and a greatly improved facility.

The storage area, taking up 8 feet at the back of the greenhouse, would include cabinets and benches.

Space was at a premium in the existing greenhouse, with only 12 students able to work in there at a time. Georgson said plants constantly had to be moved in and out of the greenhouse and lab.

The new greenhouse is expected to be used by numerous classes, both in and outside of the agriculture department, the instructors said, including around 35 students in the Ag Survey class, 20 students in the Greenhouse class, 20 students in the Landscaping class, 15 students in the Plant/Soil/Water class, 22 in the Conservation and Wildlife class; five students involved in the agribusiness youth apprenticeship Plant/Horticulture program; 23 students from the Dairy Science class during the crop unit; 20 students from the Large Animal Science class during its crop unit; and four independent study students pursuing hydroponics and aquaculture.

“Across the curriculum, there are so many applications for this facility,” Georgson said. The new greenhouse will provide a unique opportunity for the high school agriculture department to partner with the rest of the high school, the other schools in the district and the community as a whole.

Already, plans are in the works for the facility to be used in cooperation with the West Elementary School After-School Club’s “We Grow” community garden project, assisted by the Jefferson County Master Gardeners. In the future, planners are looking at ways to involve students and classes districtwide.

The greenhouse eventually might be used to provide herbs and fresh produce for the school nutrition/school lunch program.

It is expected to house plants during the Future Business Leaders of America and the FFA/agriculture department’s spring plant sale and to serve as a resource for the high school’s science department in conjunction with current core standards.

Fundraising coordinators still are accepting donations toward the furnishing of the greenhouse and its future maintenance.

People may donate outright by writing a check, giving cash or placing the donation on a major credit card or by pledging donations to be made payable for the next two years.

A “Tree of Life” with leaves signifying levels of giving is planned to go on permanent display as a lifelong way of honoring contributors to the project. This tree will be on view in the high school commons area.

Another way to support the project is through purchasing a brick. These will be used to pave a path around the greenhouse called “The Pathway to Agriculture,” Initially, only 150 bricks are slated to be sold, costing $100 each. Each brick will be engraved with the family name of a donor or inscribed in honor of a student or in memory of a lost family member.

Checks should be written to the Jefferson Community Foundation, with gifts and pledge cards to be mailed to the Jefferson Veterinary Clinic: re: Greenhouse Project, 959 W. Racine St., Jefferson WI 53549.

The site of the former Red Bridge is buzzing with activity as contractors ready the banks of the Fish Hook River for a new bridge.

Project manager Jeff Erickson said that concrete work is underway.

“At this point the contractor is building the new concrete abutment on the west side,” he said. “They will likely be finishing the west abutment next week and will start removing the point on the east side soon.”

The Department of Natural Resources project will eventually replace the Red Bridge with a 180-foot steel structure. The bridge will be approximately three times as long as the Red Bridge and extend further onto land east of the river.

The height between the bridge and Fish Hook River will stay at 7 ½ feet. The extra length is to make the bridge handicapped accessible.

Most of the bridge replacement will take place this fall except for the concrete decking. Because it will be late fall, the DNR will likely wait until spring to complete that part of the bridge.

City officials had been working with a committee on a location in the park to move the bridge. The east side of the park was deemed the best place for the bridge to be placed. However, the crew moved the bridge to the west side of the park.

The city anticipates the bridge could be moved to the east side of the park without much trouble because crews will be on site for a while.

The city Parks Board will continue to look at possible Red Bridge Park amenities for 2014, including possible landscaping around the old bridge and benches. Ideas will likely be presented to the city council in early 2014.

Earlier this fall, construction was done on Beach Road to replace the sanitary sewer and water main through the area of Red Bridge Park.

This was the first part of the Red Bridge Park project. After the sewer and water lines were replaced, the road was restored to gravel until next spring.

After the bridge is completed, the city will finish the improvement project, which will include paving the road and parking lot, along with the trail along the north side of Beach Road.

The city received $137,000 in grant funding for the improvements. The new steel bridge is paid for with state DNR funding.

The Red Bridge replacement project is part of a larger Heartland Trail master plan. It will reroute the current trail, which goes across the trestle bridge to Highway 34. The trestle bridge is in poor condition and is posted now for a maximum of 1,500 pounds. The DNR will remove the trestle bridge as part of the project. It will not be replaced.

The trestle bridge will be removed one or two years after the Red Bridge replacement project is completed, DNR officials said previously.

The project will align with the Heartland Trail master plan, which shows the trail heading west through Red Bridge Park and along Beach Road with the final destination being Moorhead.

“Gardening is an exercise in optimism. Sometimes, it is the triumph of hope over experience.” — Marina Schinz

The weather outside is frightful, the garden tools are all put away, the garden is sleeping, but the gardener is busy getting ready for the holidays.

There is nothing that expresses affection and caring more than a gift that is full of the energy and hard work of the giver. Besides, we avid gardeners are notoriously proud of our efforts in the garden. Is it so wrong to parade a little of our success during the giving season with a few beautiful and useful homemade gifts from the garden?

Gifts from the garden usually take a little forethought and planning. Consequently it may be too late this year, unless you happen to have the required ingredients from this summer’s garden — but it’s certainly not too early to be planning for next year. Here are a few suggestions for some glorious gifts from the garden.

• Dried herbs: Flavorful herbs grown in your garden can be dried in a warm oven or a food dehydrator and put into fun novelty jars and given as gift to your favorite chef. Parsley, oregano, thyme and dill are all good candidates for drying. Paprika is a staple in most kitchens. Wonderful homemade paprika can be ground from well-dried red peppers. Decorate jars with homemade labels and jute or raffia bows.

• Herb crafts: Wreaths, ornaments and wall decorations can be fashioned out of dried herbs, dried flowers and willow, birch or dogwood twigs and branches. For design ideas and crafting instructions look for craft books that include dried flowers and herbs at your local library. “The Ultimate Wreath Book: Hundreds of Beautiful Wreaths to Make from Natural Materials” by Ellen Spector Platt has lots of great ideas for wreaths. You might also want to sign up for the holiday wreath class at the Yakima Area Arboretum.

• Other garden gifts might include potpourri sachets made from dried flower petals, your own dried fruit, fruit leather, jars of grape juice, jams and jellies, dried tomatoes or roasted pumpkin seeds (there is a hull-less variety you can grow). Gourds can be made into birdhouses, bowls or dippers. Forced bulbs planted in a pretty pot wrapped in cellophane make a delightful hostess gift. Plant starts propagated from favorite varieties in your yard can be a wonderful gift of encouragement to a novice gardener. Flavored vinegars look beautiful in decorative bottles with neck and cork dipped in melted paraffin to seal, and topiary style wreaths planted with herbs for indoor growing are beautiful and useful. Both are perfect for the dedicated gourmet cook.

Our gardens are the source of much joy and happiness for many of us. We sow our energy and time as well as seeds. When the harvest comes, the generosity of Nature urges us to be giving as well. In a world where so much is mass-produced, it is a delightful treat to give and receive gifts that money cannot buy — from the garden.

Fall decorating ideas

Q. In the fall, I always place pumpkins, Indian corn and winter squash near the entry of my house. Do you have any ideas for using the beautiful fall leaves and garden bounty as other decorative items?

A. Here is an idea for a beautiful fall garden wreath: Attaching 6-inch branches from different trees with leaves in various colors (including green) to an 18-inch straw wreath frame purchased from a craft store. You might include finishing touches of dried pods, tiny corn cobs, pine cones, nandina berries, baby gourds and miniature pumpkins. The leaves are attached to the straw frame by pinning stems in place with florist’s U-pins. Other may be attached using florist’s wire and florist’s picks with wire fasteners.

You may also use small squash, pumpkins and gourds as place cards by making a horizontal cut across the stem with a craft or utility knife and placing the name card in the slot.

Another idea is to use metal nursery tags, trimmed to the right length and marked with guest names and inserted into the tops of the squash.

Small winter squash make good decorative holders for votive candles to light up a buffet area, dining table or entry area. To make them, simply trace the outline of the votive candle metal shell on the top of the squash. Using a craft knife, cut out the circle and keeping the blade vertical, remove the pulp in a small plug shape as deep as the candle is tall. Angle the blade into the center to pop out the plug. Insert the candle.

You may need to adjust the depth so that the candle is flush with the top of the gourd.

• WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to horticulture and community service. Even though the Master Gardener Walk-In Clinic is closed for the winter, your questions about gardening, landscaping or this program can be directed to 509-574-1604. or you may leave samples for identification at the WSU Extension office. Please leave a message with your name, phone number, email address and the nature of your problem or question. A member of our Master Gardener Clinic team will check voice mails and emails to retrieve your message and call you back as soon as possible. The office is 2403 South 18th Street, Suite 100 in Union Gap; 509-574-1600. New volunteers welcome.

The Heavenly Hands Trinity Knitting Ministries was recognized as one of this year’s Spirit of our Community Award winners. The Heavenly Hands knitters…

Spirit of our Community Award winners included Mario Liberatore, Jack Fowler, Letart Corporation Sand and Gravel represented here by Jon Thompson and …

MASON COUNTY — The great, Greek philosophers surmised human beings should expect the unexpected, some even went so far as to warn humanity it should expect nothing.

Out of the unexpected, and its losses, something is most always gained thanks to the efforts of those who refuse to sit by and do nothing. This was the recurrent theme at this year’s Spirit of our Community Awards reception. The reception honors the best in volunteerism in Mason County.

Recognized this year were Charlie’s Angels for Health; Mario Liberatore for Economic Development; Jack Fowler for Arts and Culture; Heavenly Hands Trinity Knitting Ministries for Human Services; Letart Corporation Sand and Gravel for Youth and Education; Dennis Brumfield for Recreation.

Co-emcee for the event, Rick Handley, first introduced Charlie’s Angels, a group of volunteers which have raised over $100,000 for the American Cancer Society and recently established the Angela “Charlie” Lilly Memorial Fund — Charlie died from breast cancer in 2005 at the age of 38 following a three-year battle with the disease. During the presentation, Handley spoke candidly and poignantly about his late wife Sue, who also died of cancer, and the impact Charlie had on her life. The core committee of Charlie’s Angels is led by her sister Wendy Lilly with the assistance of Charlie’s other sister Jackie Stewart, their mother Dixie Lilly and their aunt Sandra Willet. Other key team members include: Amanda Stewart, Rachel Stewart, Karen Meadows, Jonna Rice, Amy Crank, Ashley Cossin and Angela Lanier.

Handley then introduced Liberatore who was nominated by Charles Lanham, who said “One of Mario Liberatore’s strongest assets is his passion for the community.” Liberatore helped establish the Mason County Community Foundation, where he currently serves as president. He serves on the board of directors for the Mid-Ohio Valley Center in Mason County and was instrumental in the development and financing of the $6 million facility that now offers career training opportunities for more than 1,500 students. As Finance Chairman for the Point Pleasant Junior and Senior High School Facilities Committee, Liberatore was instrumental in raising money for the new football field, bleachers and the new track. He put together a $700,000 bond issue to complete the funding. He also assisted in raising an additional $425,000 for restrooms, a concessions facility and four new tennis courts. At the same time, he led the Auditorium Committee to raise funds for more than double the seating capacity of the new auditorium from 365 to 800 seats — a $850,000 project.

A 25-year member of the Main Street board of directors, Liberatore has been involved with their programs since their start in 1988, including the $7 million Riverfront Park. In 2012, he was named the Main Street Director of the Year for the state of West Virginia. Liberatore recognized Lanham, his family and the many other volunteers in the community who help bring ideas into reality in Mason County.

Handley then introduced Jack Fowler. Fowler was nominated for the 2013 Spirit of Our Community Award by Leigh Ann Shepard for the tireless work he put in to raise the funds to start the Point Pleasant River Museum, as well as his efforts to rally supporters and excitement within the community for the museum. This year, one of the community’s big triumphs was the dragonboat festival organized by the river museum at Krodel Park. Fowler accepted his award by recognizing others in the community which help make Mason County a better place to live by volunteering their ideas and time. Fowler also gave special recognition to Martha and Ruth Fout who also work at the river museum to ensure its continued success.

Then, Ohio Valley Publishing’s Managing Editor Stephanie Filson took over emcee duties, introducing the Heavenly Hands Trinity Knitting Ministries. The group makes a variety of items based on the needs of the community. They specialize in prayer shawls for victims of domestic violence and hospice patients, lap covers for ailing veterans, chemo hats for the suffering, and baby blankets for little ones. The idea behind the group was started by the late Joan Moore. That vision grew into a dedicated group of ladies who get together weekly to knit gifts for people they don’t even know. Every Wednesday afternoon you can find around 20 ladies working away at Trinity United Methodist Church — making items of comfort for body and soul.

The Heavenly Hands knitters include: Patti Tribble, Vicky Rice, Vickie Reynolds, Mary Hendricks, Joyce Lee, Leatha Queen, Ellen Riffle, Marge Grueser, Paula Champman, Teresa Johnson, Sherry Wallbrown, Sue Brady, Bernadine Keyser, Zoann Roush, Judy McWhorter, Shirley Ball, Kay Rutherford, Ival Wamsley, Charlotte Stephens and Ashley Wood.

Filson then introduced Letart Corporation Sand and Gravel which is Beale Elementary School’s partner in education. The local family business was nominated by Pat Brumfield of Gallipolis Ferry for the 2013 Spirit of Our Community Award because of all they do to support their school. The company is operated by three brothers. One of them, Jon Thompson, said over the years the business has done what they could to help Beale and other schools.

The company is responsible for the Beale Elementary School sign; assisting with landscaping; funding magic shows, movies and field trips; paying for student participation in national academic games and many other types of support. It’s all part of what Thompson refers to as “passing along our blessings.” Each Christmas, Letart Sand and Gravel also adopts a needy family. In addition to the company’s financial contributions, the employees of Letart Corporation Sand and Gravel are known to give of their own time, as well. They attend fundraisers, judge science fairs, and, when the situation calls for it, they even donate their blood.

Filson then introduced Brumfield, a local businessman known far and wide for his enthusiastic contributions to sports in Mason County and beyond. He has coached, refereed and contributed to the athletic experience of youth throughout the region. In 1981, Brumfield started the Point Pleasant Youth Soccer League. Since that time, he has held offices in local, state, regional and national soccer associations. From 1993 to 2000, he served as president of the West Virginia Soccer Association. He is currently the treasurer of the United States Youth Soccer Association and has been designated referee of the year by state and regional associations.

When Brumfield accepted his award, he talked about his family and community, including the Marshall Community, asking all at the dinner to remember the 75 people who perished in the 1970 plane crash, some of whom Brumfield knew personally.

Each honoree received a $2,000 honorarium made on their behalf to the Mason County Community Foundation, which was appreciated but more than likely not what the nominees ever expected when they began their endeavors.

As Wendy Lilly put it when accepting the award for Charlie’s Angels, losing her sister was the hardest thing she’d ever experienced. However, when Lilly, and the other nominees were faced with the unexpected, the option to do nothing was not an option.

(Editor’s note: Photos of this year’s Spirit of our Community Award winners appear on this page. The photo of Charlie’s Angels already appeared and ran as a standalone in Friday’s edition.)

I was in Los Angeles to attend a wedding. And just minutes out of LAX, I was as lost as a goose in a snow storm.

Family and friends know that I have no sense of direction. I can get lost on my way to the bathroom in my house. And it’s not a big house. But this time it was the fault of the GPS device in the rental car. At least that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Traffic on the freeway leaving the airport was horrible. The all-knowing GPS advised that I take an alternate route. I obeyed and exited onto an equally busy arterial. Within minutes, GPS advised that I make a U-turn and head in a different direction. Highly frustrated, I took navigation into my own hands (big mistake) and quickly found myself lost in a sprawling, rough-looking, residential neighborhood.

All was not in vain, however. As I weaved my way through the neighborhood looking for an exit, I spotted all sorts of novel approaches to home landscaping.

At one point I slammed on the brakes after spotting two large evergreens guarding the entry of a modest home. They reminded me of two giant green walrus tusks.

I threw the car in reverse to get a better look.

“What are you doing?” my wife demanded.

“Honey,” I replied. “I gotta get a shot of those big green pointy things in that yard.”

She grabbed my arm. “That’s not a good idea,” she warned. And she was right.

While I stood by the car taking pictures, a huge man wearing a white T-shirt that covered less than half of his massive upper torso exploded through the front door.

“Hey!” he angrily shouted. “What are you doing?” It was the same question my wife asked only moments before — but this time it got my attention.

“Love your evergreens,” I meekly replied. Then I waved, jumped in the car and quickly drove away.

After looking at the photos, I determined that the big green pointy things were Italian cypress, a commonly grown evergreen on the West Coast. I thought they were kind of cool — West Coast funky, so-to-speak. The T-shirt clad man’s trees might have been a wee-bit large relative to the size of the structure. But if the big fellow likes them, I like them.

Several ideas are worth considering before planting tall, pointy things in a garden. Narrow, upright growing evergreens (aka, big green walrus tusks, technically known as conical- or columnar-shaped plants) have tremendous attention-getting power, particularly when planted near the entry or corners of a home. They often look cute and charming the first few years. Over time, however, they may grow a tad large for their immediate surroundings, dwarfing a structure and calling more attention to themselves than intended. That’s just an opinion, mind you. But there are many examples of overgrown evergreens up and down residential streets across this great land, none more egregious than the one pictured with this column.

My advice is to think twice, and maybe a third time, before planting attention-grabbing conical plants. Ask yourself: Do I really want a “botanical exclamation point” in a particular garden spot? If you do, great! Go for it.

Also, consider planting dwarf varieties of conical evergreens. It takes them much longer to become offensively overgrown, if ever. Check the label to see if a particular evergreen is likely to top out at more than 10 to 12 feet. Dwarf examples suitable for urban gardens include Degroots Spire arborvitae, Green Mountain boxwood, Sky Pencil holly and the new and stunning Black Dragon Cryptomeria.

Lastly, keep the pruning shears sharp and close at hand.

Barry Fugatt is director of horticulture at the Tulsa Garden Center and Linnaeus Teaching Garden. He can be reached at 918-746-5125 or bfugatt@tulsagardencenter.com.

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Saturday, November 16, 2013

Frank Crandall, GoLocalWorcester Landscaping Expert

Incredibly, the winter season is close at hand…freezing temperatures, snow, ice and frozen ground. Now is the time to take steps to prepare your lawn, water features and fish ponds before winter arrives. These simple actions will help your landscape survive the winter conditions and be in good shape when spring arrives. Our winters can be unpredictable, but with these precautionary steps your lawn, ponds and water features will survive!

5 Steps for Lawn Care Preparation

1. Cleaning leaves off your lawn is critical so the grass will not smother and die under the shady, moist layer of leaves as well as develop diseases. The leaves you rake up or mulch can be a great source of compost and insulation for your beds during the winter.

2. Fall is a great time to aerate your lawn. An aerator will pull out tiny plugs of turf and soil that will allow water and nutrients to better access the grass roots. The plugs should be left on the surface, when the lawn is mowed they will be chopped up and distribute nutrients and soil to the lawn. Be careful to identify all sprinkler heads in the lawn before aerating!

3. For the last mowing of the season lower the height by a notch to give the lawn a closer mow to help prevent the smothering of longer grass blades and that can lead to disease problems. Be careful not to scalp the lawn resulting in damage to the grass crowns.

4. Before the ground freezes water the lawn one final time. If you have a sprinkler system blow it out before the temperature is consistently below freezing. Throughout the winter minimize heavy traffic on lawn areas that result in a worn path. Those areas will green up much slower in the spring.

5. Be careful not to fertilize or apply lime after the ground freezes. One of the major sources of non point pollution of streams and ponds is nutrient runoff from lawns. Make your last treatments in October or early November before the ground is frozen.

5 Water Features and Fish Pond Maintenance Steps

Water features (water gardens, water falls and fountains) and water ponds with fish and plants will need special care to make sure they do not suffer from freezing during the winter months. Preparation steps to take before water freezes:

1. Remove all non-hardy plants from your water gardens and store in a nonfreezing location. Hardy plants and water lilies can be cut back and stored in a deep part of the pond or garden.

2. Cut down on the feeding of fish and by the time the temperatures are consistently in the 30’s the fish will begin to slow their metabolism and begin hibernating at the bottom of the pond.

3. Remove all dead material and debris from the water garden and pond. Place a fine netting over the pond to catch leaves before they clog up the water feature.

4. Make sure the water level is up to the edges. When the water freezes it is advisable to remove the pump so the water will not flow over the ice and out of the pond. Keep an aerator and a deicer going so that fish and plants can respire through an opening in the water surface. Store your pump in a container of water where it will not freeze and keep the seals from drying out.

5. Monitor the water level throughout the winter and add water when the level drops, especially if the plants and fish are exposed. With our variable winter conditions keeping an eye on your water feature will be very helpful in preventing major problems!

Winter Preparation Summary

Following these simple steps will help your landscape features and lawn, better handle the potentially extreme winter conditions. Monitoring your water feature and snow and ice buildup on your lawn will allow you the opportunity to remove the excess material helping to prevent further damage now and in the spring. For those adventurous homeowners you can keep your waterfall pump going all winter, but you will need to frequently check the water levels, be sure no water in running around the ice draining the pond and take steps to deal with no water flow if the electric goes out! Better to put the gardens and ponds to bed for the winter and dream about starting them up again in the spring!

In my next article I will look at winter decorating ideas for your window boxes, pots and planters!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Frank Crandall, Horticultural Solutions. Frank is a R.I. resident specializing in coastal landscaping, organic land care, small business consulting, writing, speaking and photography and will be submitting biweekly articles about Landscape Solutions. Frank just published his third book, Creating a More Peaceful, Happy and Successful Life!. You can read more about his book on his website, www.FrankCrandall3.com Comments about Frank’s articles are welcome by contacting him at FrankCrandall3@gmail.com.

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THREE OAKS — The Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce made it official on Thursday, Nov. 7 — it’s new home is a spacious, log-cabin style building located at the corner of Three Oaks and Warren Woods roads.

A well-attended open house complete with speeches, a ribbon-cutting and an abundance of tasty treats introduced those in attendance to the 500-member organization’s 2,340-square foot Office and Business Resource Center at 15311 Three Oaks Road, which includes a large meeting/class room, a spacious main area complete with a kitchen, and offices where chamber officials and members can meet privately.

“We’re excited for you to see our new facility and become familiar with the services we offer here,” Chamber Executive Director Viki Gudas.

“This is in many ways a new beginning,” she later noted.

Gudas said the Chamber had been operating out of the new office for about a month prior to the open house, and its advantages were already apparent.

“We have space to meet with our members and have private consultations. Before we couldn’t do that,” she said.

Gudas also cited the versatility that having more room offers in terms of providing training sessions and meetings.

“Our members feel very comfortable here, that’s another good thing,” she added.

Rich Kochanny, chairman of the Chamber’s Building Committee, said the idea for establishing a larger office was hatched during a 2009 strategic planning session.

“We wanted to know how we could best serve our members … We had a whole list of things we wanted to accomplish, but one thing that became clear was we really needed a space in order to execute all these great ideas that we had,” he said. “It’s taken a long time to get to this point — the seed started in 2009 and here we are in 2013, we finally got the space.”

Kochanny said the Chamber was helped by “a lot of good partners along the way” including many volunteers, the Pokagon Fund “for believing in us,” a “great Building Commitee”  that included Rick Scanlan, David Aaker, Chuck Garasic, Becky Gloe, and his wife, Eileen Kochanny, not an official member of the committee, but heavily involved in the process nonetheless.

“There were a lot of decisions to make and a lot of volunteerism, a lot of hard work went into it. We’re really pleased with the results,” Kochanny continued. “I want to thank all of our contractor partners who helped us out. Bill McCollum Architects helped us with our designs and putting the ideas on paper. Thomas Gloe Builders, Burkett Heating and Air Conditioning, Stevensville Electric, Jason Gloe  Building, Kevin Von Ehr Plumbing, Groundworkes did our landscaping for us, Lakeshore Recycling and Disposal helped us out with our demolition, and the folks over at Big C Lumber and Sawyer Hardware were both great partners.”

Later mentioned was Conway and Company for painting major portions of the office.

Kochanny said the Chamber Office staff, Gudas, Kim Pruitt and Robin Quackenbush, worked together with the Building Committee and helped make the move go smoothly.

He noted that the office already has hosted several well-received classes including QuickBooks, a session on business plans and Google Plus Business Pages.

“This is really just the beginning. We have a lot of economic development initiatives, we have a lot of different ideas, programs, spaces here now and we are ready to start executing,” he said.

Chamber Board President Chuck Garasic said Kochannys showed a great deal of perseverance and dedication to the Chamber Office project.

Garasic also gave credit to Nadra Kissman and her family for being instrumental in establishing the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce in the 1980s and providing the New Buffalo Railroad Museum as the Chamber’s home for a number of years.

“There would be no Chamber without the Kissman family, so we really want to thank them,” he said.

Garasic said the late Larry Bubb also helped promote and create the Harbor Country area in the 1980s, as did Ron and Trish Miller, who owned the Miller’s Country House restaurant.

“We are here because of what has transpired in the past and we have to thank all those people whether they’re still round or not,” he concluded.

One of the services offered at the new Office and Business Resource Center was explained during the open house by Margaret Adams, program manager for the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance.

Adams said the center will have a presence at the new Harbor Country office, providing one-on-one counseling, business development classes and “anything that pertains to opening a business or expanding.”

These services also include training and assistance in finance management, marketing, procurement, QuickBooks, certification institutes, netwowrking, the Internet and home-based businesses as well as access to SBA programs and services including microloans.

Adams later stressed that despite its name, the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance offers its services aimed at starting, growing or expanding businesses in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties to both men and women.

For more, go to cornerstonewbc.com or call the Harbor Country Chamber Office at (269) 469-5409.

Adams also introduced Gregory Vaughn, executive director of Cornerstone Alliance, Regina Ciaravino, Cornerstone membership director, Kim Richardson, chairperson of the WBC Advisory Council, and Advisory Council members Judith Burnison and Brian McMahon.

Plaques in honor of the effort to establish the new facility that will hang in the Chamber office were presented to the Kochannys and to Pokagon Fund Executive Director Mary Dunbar (Garasic noted that the Fund provided a total of $229,000 in grant money to the Chamber for the office project).

“It has been truly an honor to be a partner of something so substantial that is going to affect so many people in Harbor Country,” Dunbar said. “Whether it was strategic planning, whether it was the build-out, where it was branding, we want to support economic development in this area, and what better way to do it than to support the Chamber. We really look forward to seeing the outcome of all of these new, innovative programs that you’re going to implement. I think that supporting existing businesses by providing training is going to be hugely beneficial. Encouraging new businesses to come to town will help to create expansion and new job growth for the area, which of course ultimately supports everybody in this area.”

Adam Mensinger, district representative for State Sen. John Proos, and Clay R. McCausland, district director for Congressman Fred Upton, presented a framed legislative tribute signed by Proos, Upton, State Rep. Dave Pagel and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, celebrating the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce Office and Business Resource Center.