The Roselawn Community Council Beautification Committee works to elevate the aesthetic appearance of the neighborhood for the enjoyment of our residents and visitors. Our efforts, which often incorporate a pro-active environmental stance, are financed through NSP funds, donations, grant awards, and city programs like Urban Forestry's Spring ReLeaf. We also interact with City institutions like Urban Forestry, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC), and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful (KCB) to utilize their Resources and contribute to their effectiveness in our neighborhood.

There are three primary community gardening sites in Roselawn. Our goal at these sites is to create "warm and welcoming spots" in the neighborhood.

• Travelers on the Reading Road corridor, whether in vehicles or at the bus stop, get a bit of visual respite from the garden at Reading and Summit. Colorful perennials and annuals complement the laid stone wall and the anchor plantings there.
• Wisteria sinensis (Summer 2000) and Zephirine Drouhin (Spring 2003) climbing roses complement the handsome gray stone structures at The Arches at Reading and Rosecliff, the gateway to the Garden District. Hundreds of daffodils and Spanish bluebells planted in 1999 create quite a stir there each spring. The pale pink rambling rose on the north side, a Dr. W. van Fleet, was donated by neighborhood rosarian, William Melvin. Squirrels and birds feed at the Victorian gazebo birdfeeder (Fall 2000) throughout the fall and winter months. A designer bench provides a nice spot to rest, or play "Wave and Honk" with traffic on Reading Road.
• The Eastlawn Garden represents a complete restyling of the Eastlawn Drive entrance to Roselawn Park. In Summer 2001 a Neighbor Network Merit Grant provided funds to purchase boxwoods and spring bulbs, and materials to renovate three ipe wood benches. Paul Probst served as master craftsman for the bench renovation. Additional work was done during the installation of the 1000 Hands Playground in May 2002. Enjoy a cup of coffee and the paper, or conversation with a friend, year round, while taking in one of two views: tree-lined Eastlawn Drive, or the Park ball fields and 1000 Hands Playground.

Tree investments are a focal interest of the Beautification Committee. Each year the Cincinnati Park Board offers trees to residents and communities through the Spring ReLeaf Program. Through this program, and our ongoing relationship with Cincinnati Park Board, we have acquired many trees for Roselawn Park: three (3) Kousa dogwood and twenty-one (21) flowering crabs in Spring 2001, seven Hedge Maples and two (2) magnolias in Spring 2002, and eight (8) Redbuds, representing an estimated value of $2500. In Fall 2001 we inaugurated an annual Tree Recognition Program at the Park with the installation of a Flowering Pear honoring Caryl Cooley Fullman, longtime Roselawn resident and activist. Roselawn's "Bobby Stern tree" is also planted in Roselawn Park.

Many of our grant-writing initiatives promote environmental awareness in the neighborhood. We participate annually in a community competition sponsored by KCB and United Dairy Farmers (UDF). Our winning entries have been:
Spring 2000: Compost Bins installed at The Arches
Spring 2001: Purple Martin House at Roselawn Park*
Spring 2002: Bluebird Trail at Roselawn Park*
Spring 2003: Brass Placards for Designer Park Benches
*Phases 1 and 2 of the Natural Insect Control Initiative at Roselawn Park
CRC staff installed eighteen trees representing four species (Bur oak, Winter King hawthorn, Purple Autumn mountain ash, and Robinson crabapple) in the islands of the new Seymour Avenue parking lot at Roselawn Park in December 2003 utilizing $1000 from the 2003 Neighbor Network Merit Grant, and $800 in accumulated prize monies from Beautification grants. The species and layout recommended by Kurt Kastner, Urban Forester, incorporate diversity into the tree stock at Roselawn Park.

In Fall 2002 KCB allowed the RCC to participate in the Educator's Pool for a $500 award to fund a juried Park Bench Design Competition. Our winning proposal promotes public awareness of the Urban Forest (city trees), by mounting a design competition that engaged a partnership between the RCC, KCB, Urban Forestry, CRC, and students and faculty at UC's College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning. A donation of "urban timber" from Urban Forestry enabled the students to execute their designs. One of the benches, a traditional design by Ben Meyer, is installed at The Arches where Roselawn residents enjoy it on a regular basis. The City of Cincinnati installed a contemporary two-piece design by Nathan Sunderhaus at the southwest corner of Reading and Section on December 23, 2003. Other designs are installed at Roselawn Park, and at various sites within the City of Cincinnati. This project was featured in the Tempo section of The Cincinnati Enquirer. (http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/10/25/tem_tempo2lede25.html)

To propose a candidate for recognition in the Tree Recognition Program, or for additional information on Beautification efforts in our neighborhood, please inquire through this website or by telephone to the Community Council office answering machine, 513-821-8918.