Downtown Ashland Association and Town of Ashland leaders gathered on November 13, 2019 to celebrate the new landscaping at Ashland Police Department which was accomplished by a team effort of Ashland Garden Club, James River Nurseries, and Town of Ashland Public Works Department. We proudly presented each organization with a “You’ve Been Noticed” Award.
The Award presentation included the following letter of recognition:
To Our Friends:
Mike Hildebrand and James River Nursery
Ann Martin, Lauren Thompson, and the Ashland Garden Club
Todd Evan and Town of Ashland Public Works
Chief Doug Goodman and Ashland Police DepartmentThe Downtown Ashland Association and its Design Committee would like to thank all of you for your extraordinary gift to Ashland, in the great gardening you have done in front of our Ashland Police Department building. Such a beautiful thing to do, such a beautiful addition to our Downtown! Thus, with this letter, we would like to proudly give you our “You’ve Been Noticed” Award!
Speaking as President of Downtown Ashland Association Board of Directors and as Chair of the Design Committee, we must say that the idea of saving the plantings from the beautiful garden at the being-rebuilt train station platforms, and then using it to create these new gardens at our police department, was just brilliant!
The Ashland Garden Club has for so long designed and cared for those plantings at the station – itself a gift to Ashland – that the idea of reusing the plants here may be thought of as an act of both genius and love. And then, to have the Club joined by Mike Hildebrand and his crew from James River Nurseries and by Todd Evan and his crew from Town of Ashland Public Works to do all this work; it has been a true act of civic pride.
In addition to the pure beauty of these plantings, there is also a long-term plan to landscape all of England Street, being worked on by Ashland Town Council and championed by the Design Committee. These new gardens are therefore the first and most lovely steps in making a great entrance to our beloved historic downtown. Such a great beginning, and such a beautiful step, toward this grand vision!
And so, we can’t thank you all enough. This gift of yours to the rest of us sets a standard for all subsequent civic landscaping, and will be cherished for generations to come.
Bless you.
Lorie Foley Bob Brown
President Chair
Downtown Ashland Association Design Committee
Photos of the work in progress during July 2019.
