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Folks help Greenway project By Buffy Pollock CENTRAL POINT � Two high school seniors and a group of fourth-graders got up bright and early Saturday morning to help other community members turn a bare spot into a lush greenway. Their mission: Transform a weed-covered, sandy patch of earth into the city�s trailhead to the Bear Creek Greenway, an 18.5-mile corridor that will soon unite five cities along the creek corridor. The project began a little over a year ago when Claudia Steinbroner of Pacific Power developed a proposal to landscape the northern end of the Greenway bike path, or as fourth-grader Skylor Hathaway put it, "to make a nice, peaceful place so people could come enjoy it." Steinbroner�s idea won a $2,000 environmental improvement grant from PacifiCorp�s Green Corps program. The initial grant provided money for a drip irrigation system. S&B James Construction donated the use of a backhoe to prepare the site last fall, but planting had to wait until ground conditions were just right. "It seems like most people thought this project fell off the face of the Earth, but it�s not that at all. We had to wait for the weather and needed to figure out how to get water provided," said Steinbroner. The city agreed last month to provide water and electricity for up to five years � long enough to ensure survival of new trees and plants, after a presentation from Crater High School seniors Mike Brown and Molan Kell. Brown and Kell worked with the city to develop irrigation and landscape plans that would help shade the creek and offer a better habitat for fish. "That�s our main goal. We want to help the fish," Brown said. "This place started out real barren and ugly." Steinbroner said the number of different groups involved made for "a good community-binding project." Quality Fence augured the site Friday in preparation for planting and Tom Madera Landscape Services was on hand to oversee planting and irrigation work. NW Familian donated pipe and Brotherton Pipe donated boring. LTM provided decorative rocks and delivery services. The list goes on. "So many members of the community donated, I�m sure I would miss someone if I tried to mention them all," Steinbroner explained. Saturday�s agenda included planting two dozen native trees � raywood ashes, red sunset maples & red alders and, in coming months, more than 370 bushes and shrubs will be planted and maintained by Georganna Happel�s fourth-grade class from Jewett Elementary. The added vegetation will help keep the creek cool and improve habitat for fish and birds. Members of Rotary, the chamber and Pacific Power retirees will provide money and muscle along the way. The homemade "under construction" sign that now marks the trail entrance is expected to give way to a welcome plaque at a spring dedication. Fourth-graders painted the sign when the project first started so visitors would know about the improvements. "It was their way of saying this bare patch of earth was being made beautiful," said Steinbroner. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.