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from The Telegraph
June 24, 2007
Planting at Dormann
By DAN BRANNAN
George Scanlon and some of his friends are working with the Alton Parks and Recreation Department to beautify Dormann Park.
Scanlon and the others have an ongoing project to plant, weed and maintain a flower area in the park. Mike Drake, the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, and his staff also have offered support in the project.
“We did something very similar to this at Haskell Park,” Drake said. “I would get phone calls from people near Haskell Park with different ideas. I thought what we could do about this to get all the voices together.
“So, we met one night at Haskell Park and had an overflow crowd. We have done that for at least five years. The Friends of the Park do the plantings around (Haskell House), and it is a continual work in progress.”
Drake said that without Scanlon and the help of the other volunteers, the beautification at Dormann Park to this depth would be almost impossible.
“I have no doubt in my mind they will be diligent with their commitment here,” Drake said. “Dormann Park dates back to the 1920s and is on Seventh and Easton in Alton.”
Scanlon has been a gardener for years and has lived in Alton for 15 years.
“I belong to a garden club,” he said. “I do a lot around my house. I attribute my interest to my oldest sister, Irene, and her husband. They inspired me with their yard.
“I called Mike Drake about my interest and the interest of some of the other neighbors, and he was very interested. The Alton Park Department has been very receptive, and Mike Drake has been a huge help. I think we will all be very proud of the park when we get everything finished.”
Drake said he hopes others in the community will come forward and model a program after what the Dormann neighbors have done.
“It’s going to be a nice little park,” Drake said. “There is no play equipment there.
“So many times, someone will come up with an idea of how to help us with planting day lillies or ornamental annuals, which is a nice gesture, but once it is done, it is easy to walk away,” he said. “We are not going to be there on a daily basis, and we have made it perfectly clear that the neighbors will have to keep things up at the park.”
The goal for Scanlon and the others is to make Dormann Park the prettiest park in town.
“We get people driving by all the time,” Scanlon said. “Our back yard overlooks the park. I’m very thankful for the neighborhood and Park and Rec Department for their work.”
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