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For more information, contact: South Portland Creates "Share the Road" Flower Bed The South Portland Parks Department chooses a different theme each year for the flower bed at the base of the Civil War monument on top of Meetinghouse Hill. Park workers created a tugboat out of landscaping plants one year, and a lobster another year. They marked the beginning of the Iraq War with a flower rendition of a peace dove. Sarah Neuts, operations manager, racked her brain this year for a new idea, but came up dry. "It's an odd shape," she noted. "Lots of things won't fit into it." Neuts created a contest for her staff and offered a prize: whoever came up with the winning idea would get a day off of work. Secretary Denise Michaud studied the trapezoid-shaped space and thought about what object would fit - something that is larger on the bottom than the top. A bicycle came to mind. It was the perfect choice, given the growing interest in cycling in a year when gas prices have risen to record levels and more people are recognizing the need to cut back on carbon emissions to reduce global warming. Neuts decided that a Share the Road theme would work well. She went online looking for logos. She rejected some as "too blah," and chose the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's picture of a bicycle in front of a car. Neuts drew the design to scale on paper, then used white paint to mark it off on the bed. One day in mid-June, she worked with the city's horticulturist, Mary Lou Fathke, to get the plants in just the right spots. They used white santolina and red and yellow alternanthra in the display. Fathke stops by to prune and fertilize the "letter bed," as it is called, once or twice a week. By August, the plants will have filled out and the design will become even more noticeable. It will remain in place until the first frost. Several bicyclists and other passersby have stopped to compliment Fathke on the design. They all agree that a bicycle theme couldn't be better timed. The little park is a great biking destination with several other attractions nearby, including lighthouses, beaches, the South Portland bike trail, a bakery and at least two ice cream shops. Formed in 1992, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine is working to make Maine accessible and safe for all residents and visitors so they may comfortably and responsibly bicycle. The BCM also promotes bicycling for transportation, health, recreation and fun to enhance our communities, environment and economy. # # #
Better Bicycling in Maine Since 1992 |