“I think it will be a great Earth Day project and a way to bring up awareness with regard to some of the sacrifices made by individuals for their country,” said CSD Vice President Kevin Graves. “And I applaud the garden club for stepping up and wanting to contribute to the community, so for me it’s a win-win.”
The CSD board approved the project at the regular CSD meeting on Nov. 7 and will work with the Discovery Bay Garden Club to move ahead with the club’s current Blue Star Memorial Byway Project. The Blue Star Memorial Project was started by the National Garden Club in 1945, and places Blue Star markers along highways and byways throughout the nation as a way to pay tribute to those who serve their country in the military during times of war or conflict.
The idea for the project came from the Discovery Bay Garden Club, which approached recreation and landscape manager Fairin Perez with the collaborative venture. Slifer Park, in the process of being transferred from the county to the town, was chosen for its location and opportunity for improvement.
“I think it’s a good existing site that could use a little extra beauty,” said CSD President Chris Steele.
The garden club has already received approval from the National Garden Club to place a Blue Star byway marker in Discovery Bay, and the club has also purchased its bronze plaque for placement in the memorial garden.
The 2,200-square-foot half-circle plot was approved by the board with accompanying funds not to exceed $15,000. The budget includes anticipated costs for items such as the demolition, soil preparation, irrigation modification, pathways, plantings, mulch and a memorial monument and bench. The garden club has already pledged $2,500 toward the project, and the Delta-Byron Lions Club has also expressed interest in participating. But the garden club and town plan to offset as much of the cost of the project as possible through donations, fundraising and volunteer services.
“We want to make this a community project and get as much of it covered as we can,” said Perez. “The final approval will still belong with the county, but getting the board’s buy-in and approval moves the project along that much faster … we think it’s a great location.”
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