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Show Making the desert bloom By ELAINE S. MCKAY Sixteen years ago, rocks and garbage fill-! fill-! ed a piece of land on the comer of 1700 ; South and Davis Boulevard. The 300-feet by 100-feet area might still be an ugly hazard had it not been that young men and women of the Bountiful 25th Ward were searching for "something really great' to do for community com-munity service. "I know!" said Cindy Peterson, "Let's make a park out of that junk yard at the top of my street. ' The suggestion received instant approval, and the work began. With rakes, shovels, hoes, and wheel barrows, the eager youth clamored to the hillside. Adults joined the arduous project. Soon the entire neighborhood became involved. During four consecutive Saturday mornings, scores of people united in hauling away truckloads of debris. The youth also gathered in the evening even-ing and called the events their "special activity ac-tivity nights." To raise money, the group sponsored a collating project for a local advertising enterprise. And everybody worked in shifts. "The city came out and went through the ground with a trench digger for a sprinkling system and with a tractor to terrace the whole place into three levels," says Gary King Jr., who was twelve years old when he worked on the park. "They also put in a gutter." Landscape architect Jon Reed Boothe and architect Douglas Todd offered their expertise. exper-tise. Landscaping plans showed the number and types of trees and shrubs. People could choose what they wanted to contribute. Finally, on May 15, 1976, families gathered to plant what they had purchased. A large camaraderie of friends came to the celebration. celebra-tion. "The trees have grown tall since we planted them," said Kaye Hansen, whose husband Kenneth was bishop of the ward when newly-seeded grass replaced the weeds. "And the youth also have grown. Most of them are married and have moved away. But they come home and see the park. And they remember. ' ' "I know it brought us all closer together," recalls Gary King Jr. Bob and Diane Lake have moved next door to the park. "We're grateful for those who turned a dangerous eyesore into a place of beauty," says Diane. r t 1 I r it-. -JV" ' i ' I i - V 2Lf ' - ' 1 : 1 - . .V ' . ..... T' f 1 When a group of enterprising Bountiful youth were searching for a service project, they decided they would try to create a park out of a cluttered vacant lot. The entire neighborhood (top) near the lot at 1700 S. Davis Blvd. helped with the project. Today, families like Bob and Diane Lake, and their sons, Jared, Spencer, Justin, and Brandon, (above) can enjoy the hard work and dedication of those who volunteered their services to help beautify their surroundings. sur-roundings. The vacant field is no longer a neighborhood eyesore, and has been transformed into a park. |