February 13, 2007

VEP plants 40 trees at Branham Lane-Narvaez Avenue

Community association leads Blossom Valley beautification project

By Dave Fadness
Special to the Times

Fifty-five eager volunteers turned-out on Saturday, Jan. 20, to install an extensive irrigation system in the vacant, city-owned parcel at the corner of Branham Lane and Narvaez Avenue. It was the first day of a successful, two-weekend beautification project aimed at planting trees on the one-third-acre lot.

Over 80 Blossom Valley community volunteers participated in preparation, irrigation and the planting of 40 trees as part of a beautification project at Branham Lane and Narvaez Aveue in late January.

Despite a downpour of rain that turned the parcel into ankle-deep mud, 67 brave souls showed up on the gloomy morning of Jan. 27. They planted 32 trees and spread a veritable mountain of reddened wood chip mulch four-inches deep over the entire lot. Another eight trees were planted along the pedestrian/bike path across the street, replacing those that have died over recent years. The results were beautiful and very satisfying – a long-held dream come true! Everyone left that afternoon with a well-deserved sense of pride for a job well done.

Organized by the VEP Community Association, this project obviously aroused the popular support of neighbors, young and old, who were tired of the weed- and litter-strewn moonscape. Houses across the adjacent court had for years been blasted by dust and debris as prevailing winds blew unimpeded across the barren dirt. Time was ripe, and when VEP distributed flyers and e-mails to neighboring residents, the results were predictable: People turned out, eager to get the job done.

VEP lobbied for more than 10 years get permission to do this job. Their volunteers landscaped a median island across the street four years ago. It was clear then that neighbors were eager to make the entire intersection more attractive – it’s a major portal into our community. The city explored all potential alternative uses before giving the go-ahead to proceed.

City arborist Ralph Mize selected appropriate tree species and prepared a site design. With the help of maintenance manager Tom Ferguson, the San Jose Department of Transportation (DOT) had water service installed, a key to the potential success of this effort. The DOT’s Greg Shultz and Jimmy Silva offered expert advice on VEP’s irrigation plans. VEP applied for and won a $1,959 grant from San Jose Beautiful, which covered the cost for irrigation hardware.

Our City Forest donated the 40 trees, tree stakes and expert guidance by arborist Christian Bonner. OCF also sent volunteer Tree Amigos, Anthony Nispel, Franci Card and Jeffrey Powers to supervise and assist with planting the trees. Gunderson High School principal Cary Catching and activities director Trish Buttrill helped recruit student volunteers.

Browning-Ferris Industries donated 162-cubic yards of Pro-Chip mulch, enough to cover the entire parcel four inches deep. A-Rental owner and VEP member, Fred Koslowski provided trenching equipment and a skilled operator, Jeff Godley who made the job of installing 960-feet of water lines possible for us, despite rock-hard soil conditions. Davidson Drilling augured holes for planting the trees.

Starbucks Coffee (on Capitol Expressway at Timberloop Drive) twice donated coffee and condiments. Muffin Break (Oakridge Mall) donated delicious muffins. VEP members popped for lunch and other refreshments to sustain a thirsty and hungry volunteer workforce.

We’re grateful for advance press coverage by the Blossom Valley Times, which was a powerful benefit in alerting and reminding those who would volunteer to help.

This truly was a community project, as it involved a public-private partnership of dedicated neighborhood volunteers, a fine local non-profit, city government and its employees and the unselfish generosity of local businesses.

Although each of the more than 80 volunteers contributed mightily to the success of this project, there are several superstars that deserve special mention because they worked there frequently during days before and after our designated weekend workdays: Jim Hicks, Frank Kistler, Dennis Nitschke, and Bob Olsen. Hats off to them and all of our incredible volunteers!