Hi River Roaders,

This week we’ll take a look at some of the new things you will see when we return to on-site Services (hopefully!) next month.

We are being more visible and welcoming to the community. We trimmed the trees and removed many of the invasives between the lower parking area and Whittier Blvd. The plan is to do mass plantings of native ferns this fall.

Our new front path is open for business, and most of the the shrubs we planted about fifteen months ago (such as this Summerwseet (Clethra alnifolia) bloomed this year. There are plans to provide a continuous metal railing this year.

We trimmed the large trees on our front plaza away from the building to improve sun exposure in anticipation of solar cell installation on our roof.

We planted a new pollinator garden on our front plaza, filled with milkweeds and mint. Growth and flowering has been excellent so far this year.

We reconfigured, repainted, and re-signed our handicapped parking area, providing a net increase of two or three spaces.

Moving inside, you will see additional cameras and video monitors in the sanctuary. These will be used to enable streaming of our live services.

The new water bottle filling station in the bridge area is up and running.

The Fireside Patio was replanted, with the addition of Ostrich Ferns and Blue Wood Asters, along with two new River Birch trees.

The tents used in the past for Bazaar needs have been installed behind the Memorial Garden and on the Fireside Patio to house RE activities.

Moving back to Springsview Garden, we installed several new paths, allowing options for walking in the back.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new friends when we finally meet in person.

Joe