Bike Racks, Blossoms Highlight LakewoodAlive’s Recent Volunteer-Driven Beautification Efforts

Bike Racks Painted Along Detroit Avenue

Sometimes a single day of beautification efforts can have a significant visual impact.

Such was the case during a recent Saturday when a volunteer crew from Lakewood Anglican Church joined forces with LakewoodAlive to enhance aesthetic appeal along one of the city’s major corridors. The group scraped away rust then painted 16 bike racks on Detroit Avenue from Bunts Road to Summit Avenue, with local volunteer Jim Ryan finishing the job by taking care of the racks near Jammy Buggars.

Travel along Detroit Avenue now and you’ll notice bike racks painted a vibrant shade of blue – courtesy of paint provided to LakewoodAlive’s volunteer group by the City of Lakewood. It’s yet another step in the ongoing beautification process of Downtown Lakewood and surrounding areas.

“Lakewood has developed such a strong reputation as a bicycle-friendly community, and we want to support the city’s bicycling infrastructure with our beautification initiatives,” said Ian Andrews, Executive Director of LakewoodAlive. “From a community-building perspective, the link between having a bikeable city and fostering vibrant neighborhoods is clear.”

10th Year of Blossoms Program a Major Success

For more than four months this summer and fall, Downtown Lakewood enjoyed an extra splash of color and greenery thanks to the volunteer-driven Blossoms Program.

Begonias and impatiens dotted the urban landscape from the start of June through mid-October, creating a more appealing commercial district. The 10th year of LakewoodAlive’s Blossoms Program saw the addition of 51 flower boxes stretching east-to-west along Detroit Avenue from Barton Senior Center to Cerny Shoes – the most boxes in any year.

The Blossoms Program is designed to help Downtown Lakewood merchants make their storefronts more inviting and attractive. LakewoodAlive partnered with Lakewood Garden Center to provide an opportunity for merchants to purchase professionally-planted Earth Box planters with flowers appropriate for the sun/shade needs of each location.

Longtime LakewoodAlive volunteer Kathy Haber has coordinated the Blossoms Program since 2007. What started as hanging baskets that proved difficult to water has evolved into flower boxes featuring built-in water reservoirs that reduce watering requirements.

Flyers were sent to downtown merchants in January inviting them to participate in the Blossoms Program, which includes the rental of flower boxes and stands, the planting of flowers, consistent watering and the pickup and storage of all items come fall. Haber then spearheaded facilitation of the program shortly after Memorial Day.

With assistance from Lakewood Garden Center owner Paul Bilyk, who coordinates the Blossoms Program with a grower, the materials were dropped off at the Lakewood City Center Plaza at the start of June. There, Haber was joined by Bilyk, fellow volunteer Paula Reed and LakewoodAlive employees to distribute completed flower boxes to program participants.

Haber's team of volunteers watered the flower boxes three times per week throughout the summer and early fall, and First Federal Lakewood assisted with storing the water stands the rest of the year. Thanks to Municipal Judge Patrick Carroll for providing court community workers to remove and clean the flower boxes earlier this month.

LakewoodAlive thanks the following volunteers for their assistance with this year’s Blossoms Program: City of Lakewood, Lakewood Garden Center, Paul Bilyk, Deshawn Brothers, Sue Echols, Traci Ezzo, Kathy Haber, Susan Krebs, Karen Lee, Jane Leschnik, Christina McCallum, Kathleen Miller, John & Norine Prim, Paula Reed, Kaitlyn Rosen, Marilyn Rudnick, Joyce Tabeling, Lili Torok, Karen Walsh and Alison Yonkers.