Beautification Commission

BECOME A BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION MEMBER

PLANT DAY INFORMATION

PEACE GARDEN - PINE GROVE PARK

YARD OF THE YEAR CONTEST

TREE CELEBRATION PROGRAM

BECOME A BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION MEMBER

Do you have a love of gardening? The Port Huron Beautification Commission is looking for men and women over 18 years of age to become a member of their group. This commission assists with beautifying Port Huron and creating and fostering citizen pride by developing programs, projects and annual events.

Members do not need to be City residents and appointments by the Port Huron City Council are for three-year terms. Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday during the months of February through October. Meetings generally last about one hour and are used to organize upcoming events. Some of the events they organize include:

Planting of 22 flower beds throughout the City
Planting and Dedication of the Peace Garden in Pine Grove Park
Annual Yard of the Year Contest
Tree Celebration Program

If you are interested in becoming a member, download the City of Port Huron’s Boards and Commission application, complete and return as directed on the application. For further information, contact the City Clerk’s office at 810-984-9725 and they will provide you with the name and number of one of the commission members.

Click here to download a Boards and Commissions application

PLANT DAY INFORMATION
(Volunteers needed)

Each year the commission is responsible for preparing, planting and maintaining 22 flower beds throughout Port Huron. The largest area planted is along McMorran Boulevard from Michigan Street east to the Municipal Office Center.

A couple of hours on one or both of the dates listed below is all it will take to accomplish the plantings. For those interested in helping to make the City look beautiful, please join commission members at one or both of the following days:

Flower Bed Preparation:
          Saturday, April 26, 2008, 9:00 a.m.
          Meet in front of the County Courthouse, 201 McMorran Boulevard
          Bring a trowel and willing hands!
          All volunteers are welcomed.

Plant Day:
          Saturday, May 17, 2008, 9:00 a.m.
          Meet in front of the County Courthouse, 201 McMorran Boulevard
          Bring a trowel and willing hands!
          All volunteers are welcomed.

Gloves and other equipment will be provided to the volunteers on the above dates. We guarantee you will have a great time, meet new people and gain satisfaction in knowing that you have helped to make Port Huron beautiful during the summer months.

Maintaining Flower Beds Throughout the Summer

The Beautification Commission also needs volunteers to help with watering, weeding and maintaining the beds throughout the summer months. Any amount of time that can be donated would be helpful. Please contact the individual listed below for further information.

Contact Person

If you have further questions, would like to sign up for the preparation/plant days or can volunteer to help maintain the flower beds, please contact Beautification Commission member Jean S. Webb at 810-329-0049.


Thank you for helping to keep our city looking beautiful!

PEACE GARDEN - PINE GROVE PARK

Location of Peace Garden: Pine Grove Park on the east side of the road by the concrete steps.

Dedication of Peace Garden: TBD

Volunteers: Volunteers are needed to help with the planting. Contact Alice Mariani at 810-985-8607 for more information.

YARD OF THE YEAR CONTEST

Click here to go to the nomination form
Click here to go to the sample point guideline sheet

The nomination form and point guideline sheet are provided in PDF format. If you don't have a PDF viewer, you can download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Spring is around the corner and what better time than now to begin thinking about the Annual Beautification Commission Yard of the Year contest! This contest recognizes individuals and businesses/nonprofits for maintaining beautiful yards and grounds and awards homes with yellow wooden tulips and businesses/nonprofits with plaques to display in recognition of their efforts. Judging will be done at the end of July.

Who are the judges and what do they look for?

Judges are selected from the local Master Gardeners group, are highly qualified and judge each entry on its own merit. Beautification members do not participate in the judging.

Judging takes place from the street side views. Points are given for the design, planting material and overall neatness, including landscaping suitability, color and harmony, suitable accessories, the condition and seasonability of plant materials, along with the overall neatness of lawn and shrubs. Click here to go to the sample guidelines for points

How does someone nominate an address?

The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 25, 2008, and all nominations received will be judged. Friends, neighbors or homeowners themselves can simply write the address and owner’s name on a sheet of paper or print the nomination form from below and send to: Yard of the Year Contest, c/o Port Huron City Clerk, 100 McMorran Boulevard, Port Huron, Michigan 48060.

Once nominations are received, entries are separated into one of the following areas:

• North Area: Northern City limits to the Blue Water Bridge/I-94

• Central Area: Blue Water Bridge/I-94 south to Griswold Street

• South Area: Oak Street to the southern City limits.

What do winners receive?

Residential winners receive the coveted wooden yellow tulip and businesses/nonprofits are presented with plaques. If a previous winner is nominated again, they are grouped with other previous winners for judging purposes. This group receives either a leaf to add to the stem of their original tulip or another plaque in the case of a business or nonprofit.

As you can see throughout the City, winners happily and proudly display their recognition in front yards or in offices because they have earned that right through their hard work and effort.

How are winners notified and when will the awards be presented?

Winners are notified by mail about the middle of August. Presentation of awards takes place on Monday, September 8, 2008, during the regular City Council meeting.

Who is the contact person to answer questions?

For further information, contact Beautification Commission member Debby Lemke at 810-385-9480 and leave a message. She will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this worthwhile recognition program.

TREE CELEBRATION PROGRAM

Let us plant a tree in memory or recognition of someone! Through the Tree Celebration Program, citizens can have a tree planted on City property in memory of a loved one or dear friend or to honor/recognize an individual(s). Several varieties of trees are available, including flowering crab, crimson king and linden. The trees range in price from $150 to $200. The Port Huron Beautification Commission coordinates the purchases of the trees and subsequent planting by the City’s Parks Department.

Permanent plaques acknowledging the remembered/recognized names hangs in the lobby of the Municipal Office Center for all to see.

If you have further questions or would like to purchase a tree, contact Beautification Commission Member Mary Jo Edson at 810-982-5007.