- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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The signs are new, and were designed with a seagull and trees to make the Village seem more distinctive. "We've been trying to find an identity for years," explains ms. Leopold. Some people who live here don't even realize they live in a village. They're totally confused. They say 'Oh I thought this is Ithaca, because that's on my address.' But we are a village, and try to behave like a village and treat our village residents as if they belong to us."
Village Trustee Lynn Leopold
Years ago the Village had a Conservation Advisory Council that began working on beautification projects that would help identify the Village as a village. They had the idea of erecting flower boxes on the village entrance signs. A member of the council, Carol Klepack, bought soil and plants with her own money and got the Superintendent of Public Works to build her some flower boxes.
After that resident Suzanne Lorbeer took over the boxes for about ten years. Ms. Leopold took on the responsibility last year. "This past season, really, was a terrible year to think about planting anything," she says. "We had no idea what kind of a drought we would have. But, my gosh! The geraniums survived!"
She has help from village employees. Supervisor of Public Works, John Courtney and employee Rick Beckwith help water the plants. "It's a pleasure to have John Courtney with us as a village employee, because he is such a doer, says Ms. Leopold. "He sees things that need to be done and he just goes out and does them. He's quiet and effective and upbeat, and he's a great partner in grime!" Residents also help. Some adopt planters near their homes and water the flowers throughout the season.
Creating an identity for the village doesn't stop with just the signs. Gardens and other plantings around the Village also help. Again Ms. Leopold credits employees and residents for chipping in. "We have a new garden out front. And that was, really, all the doing of Jodi Dake, our Clerk, who envisioned some way to soften that brick wall out there. Next thing I know, our neighbor just South of the Village Office, Susan Kim, just trundled over here one day with two huge shopping bags filled with bulbs that she just donated to the Village."
The Village has bigger plans for next year. "Our future looks bright for Triphammer Road, " says Ms. Leopold, "because that will eventually be planted with trees and grass after the (road construction) project is finished. It will begin to look more like a village center along this one mile strip. We will have planters and we will have flowers. That's our vision, to spruce ourselves up a bit."
In last week's fierce storm, the sign on North Triphammer was hit by a falling tree, and the sign broke off. The flower box with its geraniums remained attached to the sign poles, however, surrounded by the rubble of the fallen tree. That's the kind of tenacity the Village displays as it builds it's unique identity using trees and flowers.
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