For the first time in my life, I noticed scenic landscaping in downtown Gary.
Yes, I was born and raised in that city. Yes, I’ve driven down Broadway hundreds of times, south from 4th Avenue to Ridge Road to 53rd Avenue into Merrillville. And yes, I return to downtown Gary regularly for personal and professional reasons.
Not once did I ever pay attention to the decorative landscaping, blossoming planter boxes and green space along Broadway, specifically from Gateway Park to the 800 block of the city’s main thoroughfare. Not once, until earlier this month.
A Gary resident contacted me with concerns about the lack of upkeep for a number of concrete flower boxes at the northern end of Broadway.
“Close to where the Post-Tribune used to be headquartered,” said Norman Hairston.
Four years ago, longtime Gary resident Myrtis Boone led a group of garden-minded members from New Revelation Missionary Baptist Church to plant and maintain a flower box near 7th Avenue. Boone and the others spent dozens of hours and their own money to spread mulch, pull weeds and plant flora in that flower box.
“With the heavy recent rains, the box was looking particularly attractive with many lilies, Black-eyed Susans and other flowers blooming,” Hairston said.
He and a couple other Gary residents noticed that some of those blooming flowers and plants had been dug up. They wondered if those flower boxes were no longer being maintained by the city.
“They were so pretty to look at along that stretch of Broadway,” said 71-year-old Mable Thomas, who lives nearby. “With all the abandoned buildings and closed up shops, those planters stood out to me. And maybe to visitors, too.”
“If it was an individual who did this, then it is sad,” Hairston said. “If it was the city, without informing the churches that had taken responsibility for the upkeep, then some explaining would be in order.”
My first questions to Thomas and Hairston were embarrassing: “Which planter boxes? What landscaping? What stretch along Broadway?”
I’m not one to notice decorative landscaping in any city – it’s simply off my visual radar – and this holds true in Gary, where other sights and scenes grab my attention.
I contacted City Hall to get the explanation that Hairston and Thomas sought. I was directed to Brenda Scott Henry, the city’s director of Green Urbanism and Environmental Affairs, among other municipal duties.
Henry told me that Green Urbanism has been working on the planter boxes along the Broadway corridor, from Gateway Park to 840 Broadway, over the past three years, primarily using city staff and summer youth workers.
“This project requires a lot of teamwork,” Henry said.
The city’s urban conservation team, including plant and conservation experts, assessed the health of the trees, plants and soils in targeted areas, she said. All unhealthy and weedy vegetation is being removed from those planter boxes.
“Some planters only need soil maintenance and new mulch,” Henry said. “If there are completely empty planters, we will restore them with native plants and mulch to create a cohesive landscape. The team will then perform daily and weekly maintenance activities until the dormant season.”
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During my drive along Broadway last week, I noticed those trees were trimmed.
“We’ve tagged 20 dead ash trees with orange tape for removal,” Henry said. “We will replace those trees with native trees. This work is consistent with our green infrastructure and environmental education initiatives.”
Each summer, her department uses targeted green spaces along Broadway as “native landscaping training” for summer interns, youth workers and city employees. Recommendations from previous youth participants included the removal the unhealthy trees and brush, and developing a low-maintenance plan for workers and volunteers.
“Volunteers are welcome to work with us,” said Henry, who can be reached at 219-882-3000 or at [email protected]. “We appreciate the great work Mrs. Boone did, and we welcome opportunities for her and other residents or civic groups to work with us.”
Henry’s department was contacted by an Emerson area community group and the Youth Service Bureau, among other groups, to support efforts by adopting a city block or to help plant and maintain the native landscaping along the Broadway corridor.
“Ashley Overton, from Urban Conservation Vista, has coordinated several city departments and agencies to get this project moving,” Henry said earlier this month. “She’s been on our team for only one month, and is doing a tremendous job.”
The city collaborates with organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, the Field Museum, and Student Conservation Association to increase public awareness about the benefits of using native landscaping. This is done through a series of workshops, nature tours, onsite training and outreach materials.
“We’re excited about the growth of public interest to improve our environment, and to do our best to manage and coordinate civic service,” Henry said.
I had no idea all this was going on in the city. Neither did Thomas, who said she has lived in Gary most of her life.
“I’m so proud that there are youngsters in our city who still care about making it look as nice as possible,” Thomas told me during my recent visit downtown. “You’d be surprised how much flowers and plants and foliage can spruce up a city. Even our city.”
“Gary may have blossomed a long time ago but it’s not dead. There is still life here. Just look around,” Thomas said, pointing to those planter boxes.
I nodded my head in agreement.
I’ve heard from a few readers on social media that landscaping efforts in Gary is nothing more than placing flowers on a gravesite. I disagree after revisiting that stretch of Broadway with fresh eyes, and a refreshed attitude.
As with anything in life, we see what we want to see.
From now on, I’ll try to focus on the blossoming landscape, not the withered cityscape.