Adopt a Neighborhood Begins

A partnership effort of Downtown Lewistown, Inc. (DLI) and the Borough of Lewistown along with several community-minded individuals has resulted in organizations and businesses "adopting" public spaces in the Downtown and Five Points/East End Neighborhood.
Bolstered by the Annual United Way Day of Caring, four businesses have stepped forward in "adopting" key landscape areas. Caretaker LLC with offices in Downtown Lewistown along with Bushmen Landscaping and Metzler Forest Products have begun providing maintenance to the landscaped banks along Montgomery Avenue adjacent to Rec Park.
Concentrated maintenance work details provided by the Mifflin-Juniata United Way Day of Caring Program and participating employee volunteers from local businesses has been a positive force in the community. In 2007, Mifflin County GIS and Planning Departments along with employee volunteers from Mifflin County Children & Youth provided extensive maintenance at the Rec Park location with on-site expertise facilitated by Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. Once again, in 2008, the United Way Day of Caring with 28 employee volunteers from GE Inspection Technologies provided maintenance at the Rec Park Overlook and adjacent areas. Visit the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata website at www.mjunitedway.org for more information.
In addition to these concentrated work parties, Borough employees, interns, Neighborhood and Community residents assisted with periodic maintenance throughout the summer. Geoff Burke, Rhonda and Matt Walters, Ron Napikoski, and Jon Zimmerman of Downtown Lewistown, Inc.- Five Points/East End Neighborhood lent a hand to weed select areas and Kevin Morgan of Community Partnerships RC&D provided technical assistance in identifying a problem weed at the site. Our thanks to each of these individuals for helping to revitalize the Downtown and Neighborhood.
On the other side of town, the "diamond" at the corner of Juniata and West Market Streets and the intersection of the River Bridge is an important entry into the downtown. The evolution of this project began in 2000 when DLI and the Borough identified this key intersection as a target for improvement. Working through the Borough of Lewistown, DLI leveraged funding through PennDot to consolidate highway directional signing, add soil, provide plants, and finish with a river stone mulch. The planting, completed in Summer 2003 by Moon Brothers Landscaping, has become established and provides an attractive entry into the Downtown.
Since this early planting, several individuals and organizations have helped with the maintenance of this area including Bible Baptist Church and Downtown Lewistown, Inc. Earlier this Fall, Barger's Landscaping has "adopted" this area pledging to maintain this site as a beautiful entry into the community.
We encourage others to "adopt" an area and help make this community better, safer, cleaner and greener. We look forward to your comments.
Posted by JZ