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Lindsey Griffin, owner of L.R. Griffin & Associates, Inc., a commercial landscaping company in Greenville, donated eight Crape Myrtles to the city of Washington to be planted between the former Maola Plant and the N.C. Estuarium. The planting of the shrubs at the specified location had been approved by the Washington City Council, but there were disagreements about whether Crape Myrtles are shrubs or trees.

“The idea was brought to the council as planting shrubs,” Washington City Manager Jim Smith said Wednesday. “It said shrubs in the minutes.”

The primary concern with the Crape Myrtles was their size.

“I started getting calls about trees being planted, not shrubs,” Smith said. “The things being planted, Crape Myrtles, are technically shrubs, but they grow to 30 feet. The ones we had delivered are already eight feet.”

One of those concerned was Washington Mayor Judy Meier Jennette. From the motion that the council approved, Jennette said she assumed that the shrubs would be much smaller.

“I just wanted to make sure that whatever was going down there was what we agreed on … in keeping with what we actually voted on,” Jennette said.

The planting of the shrubs, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning, was put on hold so that the Washington City Council could deliberate on the situation.

“I pulled the council together this afternoon,” Smith said.

There was some disagreement between council members during the deliberation.

“There was great debate between the council over whether they were trees or bushes,” Jennette said.

The issue was eventually resolved, according to Smith.

“The majority were fine with the shrubs,” Smith said.

The planting of the shrubs was approved, in part, because they were a “very generous donation,” according to Jennette.

“We decided that it was a great idea to accept them whether they were trees or bushes,” Jennette said. “I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I’m glad to accept the gift.”

Development between the former Maola Plant and the N.C. Estuarium has been a hot topic in Washington.

“Everyone’s always suspicious when the site gets touched,” Smith said.

Jennette reaffirmed Smith’s statement.

“I know it’s a very touchy situation down there,” Jennette said. “There’s a group of people that are very intense about getting certain things in place.”

Jennette was pleased with the new shrubs, but said she wants to make sure that any future work done to the area has the City Council’s approval.

“It’s just that I want to make sure we follow some rationale as we prepare the park area over there,” Jennette said.

The planting of the shrubs between the former Maola factory and the N.C. Estuarium was the second phase of a proposal that Griffin brought before the City Council. Griffin, who owns a commercial landscaping company, approached Jennette about making a significant donation to the waterfront.

“He approached me several months ago about donating some trees to the waterfront,” Jennette said. “He said that he would donate four trees if the city bought four.”

Griffin, a resident of Greenville and owner of “Lrg Time,” a houseboat permanently docked on the Washington Waterfront, said he was unimpressed by the small trees that lined the promenade.

“He really wanted to do something on the waterfront,” Jennette said. “He said ‘You really don’t notice the trees because they are so small’.”

After meeting with Jennette, Griffin spoke with Smith regarding his idea.

“He went to the city manager to make arrangements with Parks and Recreation,” Jennette said.

Plans were set in place for the waterfront trees after the Washington City Council approved their planting.

“The city bought four at $2,000 a piece, including transplanting and everything,” Jennette said.

Jennette was happy with the work done by Griffin on the waterfront.

“The trees look great; you can really notice them now,” Jennette said.

The trees formerly lining the promenade were moved to the Washington Veteran’s Park on Third Street.

Unlike the trees lining the Washington Waterfront, the eight Crape Myrtles were donated in full by Griffin. Bud Brooks, owner of Brooks Construction, and employees Johnny Ayers, Jimmy Shed, John Carson and Mike Woolard volunteered to transplant the shrubs.

Tags: amp, bushes, council members, deliberation, disagreements, generous donation, gift horse in the mouth, great debate, jennette, jim smith, Landscaping, Landscaping Company, planting shrubs, rta, shrub, shrubs, washington mayor, wednesday morning
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“We call the bell ringers ‘ding-a-lings,’ and I’m the head ding-a-ling,” explains Monte Levitt, a retired Boise dentist, 45-year Kiwanis member and longtime Salvation Army volunteer.Ringing The Salvation Army bell each year is one of Levitt’s passions. For the past 30 years, he has led the Gem State Kiwanis’ efforts to help The Salvation Army with holiday fundraising.The Gem State Kiwanis has been ringing bells for The Salvation Army for more than 40 years. Members take one Saturday to hit it hard, and they have fun doing it. Maybe you have seen them at the Franklin Road Fred Meyer in Boise - they’re the lively ones putting a “good-natured squeeze on people,” as Levitt says.The squeeze is effective: In 2006, the Gem State Kiwanis raised more than $5,200 in 10 hours of bell-ringing, more than any other group.For this year’s Salvation Army drive, Levitt is organizing a friendly competition among Kiwanis groups in Boise, Eagle and Meridian, with the goal of increasing donations throughout the Treasure Valley.Levitt, 74, has been retired from dentistry since the early 1990s. He lives in Boise with his wife, Julie, and their two dogs.Catch Levitt and the Gem State Kiwanis on Saturday, Dec. 22, at Fred Meyer, 5230 W. Franklin Road, Boise.Describe a typical bell-ringing shift.You’re standing. I set it up so we have two-hour shifts, and we have four people on a shift. So, you have at least two people at each door, and oftentimes they’ll bring their wives and children.It sounds like the Kiwanis aren’t bashful about their bell-ringing.We tease and cajole. As they come in and say, “We don’t have any change,” then I say, “Good, then we’ll watch for you when you come out. If you come out the other door, I’ve already informed them to look for you.”We go out of our way. We help people with their carts and take their packages to the car - anything we can do to loosen them up.You don’t just stand there and ring a little, teeny bell. In fact, one of the coaches from the high school came by one day and watched us for a while, and he said, “You bell ringers are like you’re on steroids.”Do you ever get any hostile reactions from people?Very, very, very few. The amazing thing is the amount of money certain people will give. We marvel at the generous donations from all ages and all types of people, and we are especially amazed at the large donations from young people.What’s the biggest donation you’ve ever seen?A thousand dollars.How is the money you collect used?The nice thing about the red kettle donations is they all stay here. Everything that’s collected in the red kettles by the bell ringers stays right in the town they were collected. That’s 100 percent - there is no administration cost.What do the Gem State Kiwanis do during the rest of the year?The sole purpose of our club is to work with youth. We have scholarships, we work with grade schools, help teach reading. We build playgrounds. We’ve built an outside learning center. We’ve planted trees at schools, and we grow our own trees.
What do you get out of volunteering?We have so much fun, I look forward to doing it. It’s a fun thing to do, and there is the satisfaction that you’re really doing it for a good cause. It is enjoyable. You see the same people year after year, and they seem to know who you are and remember you.

Tags: generous donation, minis, money, rta
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