Churchville area residents may have noticed some changes for the better outside the Newman Riga Library lately. Dave Gathmann, one of the library board members, and his wife, Linda, and daughter, Sallye, have stepped forward to help take care of the library grounds now that the Churchville Beautification Committee has disbanded. They have been busy pulling weeds and saplings and trimming back groundcover, and hope to do more once the weather cools off this fall, and again in the spring.

A particular problem, they say, is the iris bed. The bearded iris in the bed are overcrowded and have suffered a lot of borer damage this summer. Because iris are a higher maintenance plant, the Gathmanns' plan to change the bed in the spring into a mix of low maintenance perennials for a longer bloom with less effort, including some iris, daylilies, black-eyed susans (rudebeckias), peonies (single or semi-double to prevent flopping) and groundcover. They also hope to add spring blooming bulbs a year from now once the perennials are in and growing. A similar plan will be put into effect on the south side of the library along the rail fence and by the village sign, leaving some space for annuals.

Members of the Churchville Beautification Committee who would like to have some of the iris from the iris bed as it is renovated can contact Dave or Linda at 293-1322. They would also like to discover what has happened to the hoses, etc. for watering the grounds, so they can be used in this effort.