Borrego Beautification Project Underway
Last updated 6/14/2018 at 9:19am
Artistic renditions by Richard Orne
The Borrego Village Foundation began in 2011 by clearing asphalt, cleaning up shrubbery, and planting trees, and now the Palo Verde trees are coming into maturity.
Trees have been planted west of Christmas Circle along Palm Canyon Drive, and also along the north side of Sunset Drive," said BVF President Bob Blum, with old landscaping removed from the post office grounds to make way for future landscaping improvements. A new gravel path between the mall parking lot and Palm Canyon Drive is now complete, with benches added throughout the community gardens.
But trees and shrubs and benches and gravel don't come for free. While financial and in-kind contributions from residents, business owners, SDG&E, and the Borrego Springs Civic Foundation have resulted in visible progress, the BVF also needs more community support, Blum said, particularly in the form of $30K in public donations needed to complete the project within two years.
New landscaping near the post office is designed to compliment both the new library across the street, as well as the BAI Art Farm. New landscaping and allowances for future maintenance is needed for existing community garden and intersection island plantings.
All trees and shrubs are drought-tolerant. And as far as water use is concerned, Tom Fredericks Landscaping supplied data to the BVF showing that, once mature, the total amount of water needed for all the trees and shrubs planned for the beautification project should be less than one acre-foot per year. Our total allotment for aquifer sustainability by the year 2040 is now at about 5,700 acre-feet per year. In addition, the Borrego Days Parade route will not be affected by the landscaping, nor will the trees block the names of businesses along Palm Canyon Drive.
The BVF is a 501c3 non-profit, and says Blum, "Your tax deductible contributions are essential for this work, and because the BVF is a volunteer organization, all funds are used for beautification."
There is no website for contributions, so donations large or small are requested to be sent to: The Borrego Village Foundation, P.O. Box 1350, Borrego Springs, CA 92004.
