Beautiful brick beds

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Published on Monday, November 17, 2014

By Sheila Runions

      Banner Staff

Last week’s Chamber of Commerce column reminded readers the provincial government provides Hometown Manitoba grants for “main street” development. Rivers Legion Ladies Auxiliary applied for $800 for a project; they received that funding and paid their own $800+ for the job.

Work was completed last week on renovating the nine- by nine-foot flower bed in front of the statue at the cenotaph park on Second Avenue. Originally built in 2007 with two rows of wooden landscaping ties (creating a height of five inches), it was time for an upgrade.

New Look Landscaping near Rapid City was contracted to remove the ties and install three layers of grey sandstone (bought from North American Lumber in Rivers). Grey was chosen to match the base of the cenotaph and because grey is a common ballast colour. A railroad theme has been partially promoted within the town and the auxiliary thought grey could serve as a remind of ballast rock.

The next round of Hometown Manitoba grants has an application deadline of Dec. 15. The auxiliary will file another request and hopes to receive more funding for brick flower beds along the sidewalk on either side of the memorial (shown above with frosted “flowers”). Those beds are currently at ground leve, so having them higher than the centre square (which is now one foot above ground) will improve visibility of the foliage next season.