To the editor:

I want to extend a personal thank you to all the volunteers who helped out at the Lions Club cleanup of Freeland Park. Due to large variations in temperature last winter, many of the plants on the three berms surrounding the children’s playground suffered severe damage and many died.

The week before the big cleanup, Roy Benson and I met with Master Gardener June Davis, a Friends of Freeland director, to determine what should be done.

Subsequently, June tagged more than 40 plants to be removed. Then Steve Marx, assistant director of public works for Island County, sent Jan VanMuyden and his assistant Joe Davis to the park with a backhoe and dump truck. Using a grasper mounted on the backhoe, Jan worked his way around the park gardens and in less than three hours, pulled all the dead and damaged plants, loaded them in the dumper and hauled them off to Landshapers for composting.

This prepped the grounds for a work party on the following Sunday. Bob Davis, Roy Benson, Slim Lowey, Maury Hood and Rob Setlow from the Lions Club, along with Rocky and Susan Knickerbocker, Ian McGowan and Brenda Fillipi and Tina Jarvis all from Friends of Freeland and Annie Thompson with the Greater Freeland Chamber of Commerce spent several hours weeding and cleaning the flower beds and loading all the debris in a trailer left for us by Steve Marx.

About 12:30 p.m., Terry Minton, Lions Club president, and Clayton Engebretsen served hot dogs, chips and beverages for the workers.

The following week, the trailer full of plant material was taken away while Dale Stimson, Steffani Rogers, Ryan Farrel, Jason Pierce and Shane Cummings and Island County Public Works staff, mowed, swept and edged the grounds and parking lot to complete the park cleanup.

Many thanks to Landshapers for accepting all the plant materials for composting and to everyone who participated in getting our park ready for the July 3 celebration!

MIKE DOLAN

Executive Director

Friends of Freeland