Efforts to beautify the Winamac Parkway continue to move ahead. ProscapeS Unlimited has been working on a landscaping plan for the trail. Now the Iris-Elm Garden Club is planning to apply for state and federal grants to help implement some of those ideas.
Club President Dave Zahrt told the park board last week that one of those grants would help pay for a row of dogwoods. “The original Blue Star Memorial, which is over here by the depot, was a dogwood trail, so it would sort of tie in with that,” he explained. “We can apply for up to $2,000 grant for the national on that, to help us do it.”
Another project would upgrade the brickwork around the train depot. “Part of that brick would be torn out and new brick would be added and all look the same,” Zahrt said. “And then right next to here, we’d like to put a pollinator garden, which is just different types of plantings to draw birds and bees and butterflies, and that is another grant that we could apply for.” Once the budget has been approved, the club members can start looking for various garden equipment for rent that they need for their gardening projects.
The Winamac Park Board voted to approve both projects and allow Iris-Elm to apply for the grants.
