Image: addisongreen.info

If you are interested in claiming space at the new Community Garden, you may need to act fast. As of July 26th, only 21 plots remained available as the Addison Arbor Foundation found plenty of interest in the project.

Here’s what you need to do to get going:

• Drop by the front desk at the Addison Athletic Club.
• Ask for a Community Garden plot agreement.
• Fill out the agreement.
• Attach a check for $100.
• Turn your agreement and the check in to the staff person at the front desk.

Don’t want to do all the work by yourself? You can share a plot with a friend or neighbor. Either way, you’ll want to act soon to get in on this opportunity while you still can!

For any questions, e-mail Neil Hewitt or call him at 972-896-1261.

Image: addisongreen.info

If you’ve checked out the rose bushes across the street from the Addison Athletic Club and wondered why they seemed to be doing so well in the withering summer heat, here’s your answer: These are no average blooms. Instead, they’re the product of extensive research that has produced roses that enhance their surroundings while requiring a bare minimum of care and feeding.

These are Earth-Kind roses, recipients of a special designation awarded by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at Texas A&M University through the Earth-Kind landscaping program. The distinction is based on studies and field trials and is given only to roses which demonstrate superior pest tolerance and outstanding landscape performance.

“They have the Earth-Kind designation by going through a series of trials where they have performed well under minimal watering conditions, no fertilizer or pesticide applications,” says Addison Parks Director Slade Strickland.

According to A&M: “Earth-Kind roses do well in a variety of soil types, ranging from well-drained acid sands to poorly aerated, highly alkaline clays. Once established, these select cultivars also have excellent heat and drought tolerance.

“The use of Earth-Kind roses provides the opportunity to enjoy these wonderful flowering plants while limiting the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water. These sustainable practices are excellent examples of how Earth-Kind landscaping is working to preserve and protect our natural resources and the environment.”

Read more about them at the Aggie Horticulture Web site.

Ever wondered how much recycling the Town of Addison does?

It’s a big number for a relatively small community. Since the curbside collection program began in June of 1992, Addison has diverted a whopping 6,022 tons of recyclable materials that otherwise would have gone to landfills.

Just how much is that? The number represents the combined weight of just under 2,700 Ford Tauruses.

Clearly, Addison residents have taken to recycling as a way of life. In 2009, an average of 51 percent of all single family residences in the Town participated in curbside recycling each week. (According to the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, a 30 percent rate is considered successful.) Even more impressive is a 90 percent participation rate when the time frame is increased to at least once a month.

Addison’s agreement with Waste Management stipulates that the Town receives 50 percent of all proceeds derived from the sale of recycled items. Not only does that produce revenue, but it also serves to assure that items earmarked for recycling don’t end up in landfills.

“I think we were the first to do that, as far as I know,” Addison Street Superintendent Robin Jones says. “I’ve heard of other towns who’ve partnered with it in the last four or five years. We get calls from other cities who want to start that kind of program.”

So give yourselves a hand, Addison. And while you’re at it, take heart in knowing that your efforts lend a hand to beautification efforts in the Town, since the money goes to support the Addison Arbor Foundation. Last year, recyclables income provided $15,000 to Arbor Foundation programs.

“The Arbor Foundation has helped with awareness about recycling,” Jones says. “They meet regularly and they stir the interest in the community a little bit because they get the proceeds. They’re pretty active.”

In nearly two decades of working with recycling, Jones has seen the program grow dramatically. It all began in the early 1990s with a couple of drop-off sites run in conjunction with a contractor. The limitations of that approach were readily apparent.

“If you have a drop-off site, and you don’t man it, pretty soon you have a dump site,” Jones says. “We had bags of leaves, a roll of carpet, you name it.”

The curbside program, using bins, was implemented in 1992.  In the years since, the number of single family residences served has more than doubled, from about 800 to 1,700. (The Town provides bins to residents for recycling. Bins can be obtained by contacting the Public Works Department at 972-450-2840. Items to be picked up should be in the bin and on the curb by 7 a.m. on Mondays.)

The scope of the program has grown as well. Early on, aluminum cans, bottles, newspapers, and plastics 1 and 2 were among the limited items eligible for the bin. Now, phone books, office paper, food boxes (excluding pizza boxes), flattened cardboard, plastics 1 through 7 and empty aerosol cans have been added to the mix.

The Town has worked with Waste Management since 1995. The company picks up garbage twice a week and recycling once, all for one set fee. The contract comes up every five years but can be renewed automatically if both sides are happy with the terms. The Town enjoys some cost certainty, as rates go up and down with the Consumer Price Index.

Making matters even simpler for residents, all items go into one bin, and Waste Management separates them later.

“It has worked well,” Jones says.

So well, in fact, that Addison is impressively ahead of the curve as Texas communities go. Fewer Tauruses in the landfill, plus income for beautification projects, makes for a win-win for the Town.

For more information on Addison recycling, visit the Public Works Department Web page.

By Bill Sullivan

Every time a big storm blasts through North Texas, trees and tree limbs are an inevitable casualty. Whether you drag them out to the curb yourself or pay someone else to haul them off, they’re going somewhere, most likely to take up space in a landfill.

Now, the Town of Addison has a more efficient way of dealing with the messes Mother Nature often leaves in her wake. Armed with a $69,700 grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Town purchased a wood chipper, truck, truck bed and safety equipment about two years ago, allowing cleanup crews to quite literally cut that bulky and space-eating debris down to size.

Better yet, the mulch the chipper produces is made available to the Parks Department, which uses it in landscaping projects all over town.

“It’s a good program,” Street Superintendent Robin Jones says. “It allows us to recycle things that would definitely be in landfill, which is a lot.”

The chipper simplifies things in several ways. Since it can be hauled around town, it eliminates the need to cart trunks and limbs back to the Service Center en route to landfill. By reducing volume at the source, it also cuts down on the number of trips crews make to pick up in the wake of a storm or after a resident elects to do some pruning or tree removal on his own.

“Even if we had to send the chips off to landfill, it would be a lot less volume,” Jones says. “And we haven’t had to do that with any of it. It’s all out here in a pile.”

Once the chipper grinds up the wood, the product is shot into the truck bed through a chute that can be moved side to side to allow for even distribution. When properly filled, the bed can hold up to 20 yards of chipped wood.

If you visit the Service Center at 16801 Westgrove Drive, you indeed will find an impressive pile of mulch waiting to be deployed. Street Supervisor Al Dent keeps track of the volume and estimates that the chipper has produced about 1,400 yards of mulch in the first half of 2010 alone.

That’s a lot of mulch, a nice problem to have for a Town that prides itself on taking care of business and looking good doing it.

Image: addisongreen.info

Interested in staking out your own space at the new Community Garden? The Addison Arbor Foundation hosted  an organizational meeting July 15  at the Addison Athletic Club.

Topics on the agenda included:

• Overview of the remaining project plan.
• Review of the plot agreement.
• Answer questions on the garden.
• Review plot allocation process.
• Review wait list process.

If you couldn’t make it, you can still sign up for a plot by obtaining an agreement from the front desk at the Athletic Club, or by downloading one from the Arbor Foundation web site. Plot agreements became available starting July 16.

Even if you aren’t personally interested in tilling the soil, you can support the project by making a donation. Currently, materials costs are estimated at $55,000. The Arbor Foundation will provide some of those funds, but the group is seeking donations to make up the difference. While any donation is appreciated a gift of $250 or more will earn acknowledgment on the “giving tree” at the Addison Conference Centre.

To make a donation, please mail a check to Addison Arbor Foundation, PO Box 1649, Addison TX 75001. For any additional questions, contact Neil Hewitt at nhewitt11@aim.com or 972-896-1261.

There was plenty for an America in Bloom judge to like on a recent tour of Addison. Photo: addisongreen.info

Addison is one of four municipalities in the 15,001-25,000 population range competing in this year’s America in Bloom, joining Arroyo Grande, California; Junction City, Kansas; and Webster Groves, Missouri.

Why Addison, and why now?

“It seemed like a quality program that would give us an outsider’s perspective on how the Town rates on criteria ranging from landscape quality levels to environmental efforts,” Parks and Recreation Director Slade Strickland explains.

Between May and August, AIB judges spend two days in each participating town, evaluating projects and consulting with residents and volunteers. From those observations and interviews, they develop an extensive written evaluation, providing feedback on where towns excel and offering suggestions for further initiatives and improvements.

Photo: addisongreen.info

Through 2009, participants included more than 170 towns and cities from 38 states.

A judge visited Addison earlier this month and rated the Town’s efforts.

“They wanted to see all public landscape sites, parks, single and multi-family landscaping and private property landscaping,” Strickland said. “They judged the Town on eight criteria, which included Tidiness Effort, Environmental Effort, Community Involvement, Heritage, Urban Forestry, Landscaped Areas, Floral Display, Turf and Ground Cover Areas.”

Winners will be determined in both population and criteria categories and will be announced at the AIB Symposium and Awards, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in St. Louis.

America in Bloom is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting nationwide beautification programs and personal and community involvement through the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements. The organization provides educational programs, resources, and the challenge of a friendly competition between participating communities across the country.

Winners in 2009 included Echo, Oregon; Charles City, Iowa; River Falls, Wisconsin; Collierville, Tennessee; Lompoc Valley, California; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photo: addisongreen.info

With another full schedule on tap, the annual Summer Event Series again promises to provide no shortage of entertaining summer evenings for Addison residents.

If you’re going, consider going green, too.

Event venues will feature blue recycling bins, allowing folks headed out to catch music, fireworks, or salsa dancing a chance to pitch in for the environment. So look before you toss. By finding the right way to dispose of the appropriate items, you can have fun, help save the planet, and feel a little better about yourself, too.

It’s all  part of Addison’s continuing efforts to make your Town, and your world, just a little bit greener!

Visitors to Taste Addison 2010 got a taste of the green life, too. Photo: addisongreen.info

Taste Addison was a success on several levels, not the least of which was showcasing the Town’s ongoing commitment to more sustainable living.

Several “green” businesses staffed booths throughout the grounds. Recycling opportunities were plentiful and clearly marked. Organizers even sponsored a friendly competition among local restaurants to see who could be the most environmentally friendly.

The winner of the 2010 Sustainability Award: Twin Peaks.

“Restaurants were able to leave all their recycling in front of their booth, so our trash company could pick it up and review how much they recycled,” Nicole Newkham, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Addison, explained. “At the end of the event, we had the supervisor determine who had recycled the most.

“It was pretty close between Twin Peaks and Sherlocks, but it was determined that Twin Peaks had recycled more.”

For its efforts, Twin Peaks earns a tangible prize: $250 off the booth fee for next year’s Taste.