Local volunteers broke ground Thursday on a planned 28-acre garden meant to bring eye-dazzling color to a Longview tourist stop.
"We've been rooting for this project for some time with him," master gardener Kathy Spencer said about the Longview Arboretum project and its founder, Dencil Marsh.
Jimmy Isaac/News-Journal Photo |
Dencil Marsh welcomes volunteers Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Longview Aboretum as board President Caroline Geer watches.
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Marsh was among some 45 guests at Thursday's groundbreaking. The arboretum, adjacent to the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center, is the top project for local nonprofit group East Texas Gardens, Arboretum and Conservation, board president Caroline Geer said.
Geer hopes to begin planting flowers at the 28.62-acre site between Maude Cobb and Grace Creek in the spring.
Volunteers will continue dirt work and foundation set-up for the 8,000-square-foot arboretum's entrance, to be called Perennial Garden, Geer said. That volunteerism includes local probationers performing their community service requirements at the arboretum, she said.
East Texas Gardens, Arboretum and Conservation has a 99-year lease with the city of Longview for the land, Marsh said.
Longview Community Services Director Laura Hill said the city will not be responsible for maintenance of the arboretum once it's completed. However, if the group charges an admission fee, the City Council must approve the fee schedule to ensure it is reasonable, Hill said. The group also must form a long-term development plan for Longview Arboretum for council review by December 2010, she said.
Texas Department of Transportation Maintenance Supervisor Michael Reagan said his four-member crew looks forward to helping volunteers with planning and seeding of the arboretum.
The city and Gregg County contributed $1,250 each to help East Texas Gardens, Arboretum and Conservation begin planning the project, Marsh said. Geer added donations will be needed for spring planting.
For information or to donate, call (903) 759-6417 or visit www.longviewarboretum.org. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 6754, Longview, TX, 75608.
