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UPDATE: Overgrown lot blooms as community garden
FARRELL — It was a vacant lot, filled with stones and poison ivy and a broken fence before this summer. Now the space behind the senior housing complex Fornelli Manor is a well-manicured garden.
The transformation came at the expense of sweat and toil from a group of participants from AmeriCorps, West Central Job Partnership and CareerLink, and Keystone SMILES from Knox, Pa., some partly funded with federal economic stimulus dollars.
About 776 man-hours went into weeding out poison ivy, digging up stones, unearthing tree stumps, planting various flower beds, and constructing multiple hip-high and ground-level soil plots for the seniors of Fornelli Manor, said participant Stacy Pippin-Czap.
Now Barbara Turk can plant flower gardens again. “I just love this! They couldn’t have done anything nicer for us,” she said at their celebratory Garden Party on Wednesday.
Don Christie, who once gardened on his seven acres of Harrisville land, said it’s good to be back at it. “It’s something to do,” he said. He grows tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, and hot peppers in his plots.
Because some of the seniors can’t bend over, volunteers helped build some hip-high square plots, where flowers can bloom, tomato plants can fruit and other vegetables can grow within easy reach.
The shady backyard space seemed to give the greenery enough sunlight to thrive, and the seniors are looking forward to next year, when they will have an entire season to plant and cultivate.
The 12-week-long project used between 85 and 95 percent materials recycled from other places, including lumber, fencing, rocks and soil, said a release from Mercer County Housing Authority.
It wasn’t an easy job for the workers. First-time AmeriCorps participant Tyler Powell said the roughest part was digging out tree stumps by hand.
But he and Andy Puleo, another AmeriCorps worker, both said they learned a lot from the project: how to do landscaping, and also at other AmeriCorps sites, how to lay foundations, pour concrete, and build walls.
AmeriCorps worker Koann Eicher said it was rewarding to see the garden come out of the lot. “Every time we came, something was better and better,” she said. “This was a labor of love.”
There are still a few kinks being worked out. Christie said they’re working on a set-up to draw rainwater from the roof of Fornelli Manor into a barrel for watering the gardens, for instance.
For Keystone SMILES chief Libby Hansford, the project was all about putting together a space for the seniors to get together. “It’s kind of increased their sense of community.”
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League sets debate date; Dahlkemper ad questioned
Local political junkies, mark your calendars.
Third District Congressional rivals Kathy Dahlkemper and Mike Kelly will face off at a League of Woman Voters of Mercer County forum from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Sharon City Building.
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Are you going to Stoneboro Fair?
“I want some fries, straight off the bat,” a teen said as she strolled amid a seemingly endless stream of people running from the parking lot to the midway Saturday at the Stoneboro Fairgrounds.
The aroma of scrumptious fair food wafted through the fairgrounds on a cool afternoon that felt more like autumn than the waning days of summer.
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Court backs warrantless search that turned up gun
Superior Court issued a ruling recently that the Mercer County District Attorney believes will enhance the safety of policemen and women.
The court ruled Aug. 26 in a Mercer County Juvenile Court case that stemmed from an arrest made by Southwest Mercer County Regional police. -
Hood surfer back home, recovering
Natalie Huff, the 17-year-old girl critically hurt in a hood-surfing accident, made it home Friday for the first time since she was run over by a friend’s car last month.
David Huff, Natalie’s father, said she was in excellent spirits.
“She just wants to come home,” he said. “She wants out of the hospital. She’s doing really well.”
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Kelly: Jobs are the key to restoring economy
When businesses are healthy, they hire people, and everyone wins, according to Congressional candidate Mike Kelly
The Republican challenger announced his “Pathways to Prosperity” job plan Friday in time for Labor Day weekend at JFS Wealth Advisors in Hermitage. He also made stops in Butler, Crawford, and Erie counties.
Kelly, who faces U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie, D-3rd District in November, said he’s been up and down the county and hears about two concerns: jobs and the economy.
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Couple restoring a local landmark
The gardens were renowned and the house was a resting stop for future presidents.
Now, Dan Briceland and his wife Kristin are restoring the structure at 379 state Route 7 in Brookfield to its original glory.
Built in 1816 by Navy Capt. James Christy, the dilapidated house went up for sale this spring. The Bricelands, who have always wanted to restore an historic house, put in a bid and won.
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Cleanup planned for 2nd city neighborhood
The Irvine Avenue cleanup in Sharon was so successful that similar efforts are being planned for another part of the city.
The Sharon Beautification Commission is organizing a cleanup for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 2 for Meek Street and several surroundings streets, Sharon City Manager Tom Lavorini told council Thursday.
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Lock up vehicles, police urge
Residents should be alert for suspicious activity and keep their cars and homes locked in the wake of a recent rash of thefts from cars — some of which were left unlocked, Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Chief Riley Smoot said.
The most recent thefts were reported Wednesday in the Dogwood Lane, Oak Hill Drive and Kiwanis Road area of West Middlesex.
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Blue Streak thrills again
“It was great. What else can I say?” Dave Hahner said Thursday, just moments after taking his second ride on the Blue Streak.
That’s right. For the first time since 2006, Conneaut Lake Park’s historic roller coaster is back up and running. Once again ready, as Jack Moyers, chairman of the board of trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, put it, “to bring thrills and chills to children of all ages.”
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3 Ohio men in county jail accused of Walmart theft ring
Three Ohio men are in Mercer County Jail for allegedly running a theft ring that stole video games and systems from Walmart stores and then sold them for cash.
Thomas “Tommy” Hamilton, 42, of Ashtabula; Alex Plitt, 34, of Jefferson; and Christopher Patton, 25, address unknown, were caught Aug. 25 after hitting up Walmart stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania for at least several months, Hempfield Township patrolman Daniel McCloskey said Wednesday.
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League sets debate date; Dahlkemper ad questioned
