Volunteers paint bandstand, but storm cuts work short

A group of volunteers painted the Ron Prill Bandstand in Central Park Friday morning.

The project was organized by the Fairfield Beautification Commission, with a helping hand from Cambridge Investment Research. Five Cambridge employees helped paint the bandstand, until a storm came through that forced all the volunteers to take cover.

Beautification commission member Susan Gail said her group wanted to paint the bandstand last year. It hadn't been painted in more than five years.

'The paint was peeling off. It just needed to be freshened up,” she said.

Gail said a few volunteers have come back in the days since the storm to continue painting the bandstand. It's not completely done yet, but the commission plans to finish it soon, certainly before RAGBRAI comes to town July 25. Gail said that members of the public who wish to paint the bandstand can check the commission's Facebook page for the next opportunity.

The commission and Cambridge have joined forces on projects before, such as painting the house on the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Burlington Avenue, near the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center.

'Cambridge has volunteer days where they do various projects, so I reached out to them knowing they had helped us in the past,” Gail said.

The five Cambridge volunteers were joined by three commission members – Gail, Jessie Nichols and Tom Hryvniak – and Fairfield City Councilor Michael Halley.

The commission was established by the city council to oversee the beautification of the city. That can take the form of working with city departments such parks and rec in sprucing up the city parks, like the commission has done in Central Park, OB Nelson, Chautauqua and others. It means engaging businesses to maintain flower pots outside their shops, on street corners and in alleys around the square, which are watered by volunteers. It also means inspiring residents to improve their homes by honoring them with the Rose Award.

'We are the spearhead that's inspiring the community to create more beauty as a whole,” Gail said. 'As a result of the beautification commission focusing on enhancing color around the square, business owners have done their own luscious baskets. They deserve credit for all the potted plants you see outside.”

The Fairfield Convention & Visitors Bureau offers grants to support businesses that wish to beautify their entryways. Gail said she's pleased to see that the grant program has prompted a big increase in flowers around the square.

Gail said one improvement residents should be on the look-out for is replacing the hanging baskets that line the square. The project is already underway, and by next year, all 36 old baskets will have been replaced with a larger, more beautiful variety.

In the more immediate future, the commission has planned a few work days with the Southeast Iowa Sierra Club to weed the downtown before RAGBRAI comes. Gail said the public is always welcome to pull weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalk.