The Delta independent., 1922-01-20
PARK COMMISSION MAKES
RECOMMENDATlo IN DETAIL

The City Park Commission held
meeting Friday evening and various
phases of the city park matter were
discussed at length. A survey had
been made of the entire grounds, and
Of the ditch thereon, and road was
surveyed to go onto Garnet Mesa with
a per cent grade. This, the com
mission assures us, can be done by
closing Seventh street at its intersec
ton with Bluff street, and swinging
back to the south for $50 feet, and
then circling back again with the road
whereas, by going directly up Seventh
streets as it is plated, it would be
impossible to construct road which
could be used. Under present condi
tions, the people who use the road
follow down the gulch, which is on
private property.
The new plan calls for the easiest
road that can. be made. 1t is not alone
for the purpose of making road
which can be followed by farmers and
fruit men in bringing their produce
and fruits to the depot, but by build
ing this road the commission believes
1t can best adorn the east part of the
city park.
AS planned by the City Park Com
mission at the present time, there will
be somewhat of a water garden at the
base of the hill with shallow pond
for water lilies, water loving iris and
similar plants, and then as one
ascends the hill there will be oppor-
tunity for grouping evergreens and
deciduous trees of various kinds with
flower borders at their base, the ar
rangement of the borders and groups
Of trees to follow the contour of the
road, but at some distance back from
n. 5. 4l L-l G1 a
Where the road crosses the city
ditch another opportunity for water
gardening appears. Right above the
ditch there is strip about hundred
feet wide, and that for the most part
Is naturally irrigated by seepage wa
ter that flows out on the upper edge
Of the shale, thus giving opportunity
for planting shrubbery and grasses of
Water-loving varieties. Above this is
the rocky soil of the edge of the mesa
where rock gardens can be made to
some extent and terracing can be done
to utilize the side hill to the adorn-
ment of the park.
There is a tract of land already
owned by the city of Delta where the
old water tanks were formerly To-
Gated, that can be utilized as part
of the city park, for if Seventh street
is closed and the new road is built, it
will make the new tract extend as far
as Leon avenue. Some donations of
land have been promised which will
give the city park somewhat of
frontage on Leon avenue, and thus
new driveway will go through the
park from the intersection of Bluff
and Seventh streets up to the inter-
section of Seventh and Leon.
The plans of the City Park Commis-
sion this year will necessarily be
somewhat limited on account Of the
fact that there will be only something
like $1;400 in funds available, but with
this it will be required to put in q
water system to irrigate, either d.
rectly or by sprinkling from the city
ditch, which is some % feet higher
than the level of the lower part of the
park. It will also be necessary to
have plans prepared by landscape
gardener, for when the park is once
planted it will be work that must
stand for a hundred years or more
and the commission all believe that it
is best to have the work done care
fully in its incipiency, SO that although
It takes q number of years to fully
follow out the scope Of the plans.
nevertheless whatever is done can be
done by planting in the exact places
designated on the plat, and thus sec
ton by section work can be accom-
plished.
There will be in the city park an
area Of something like ten acres, and
it is desired to have the plans so ar
ranged that as one ascends or de-
scends the mesa the beauties OF the
diverse scenery of the park will ap-
pear.
Another thing that VIII be done viii
Dronaeate in la~ee quantities plants
trees and shrvbberv that will he 80
Iarpelv needed in the decoration Of
the rark Snrh plants as Hvdrangias
Sni~aea. Tilacs. Whnrnnma and Pc
oniee bv the hundred. and hardy per-
enniaIs such az Larkspur. Colnmhines
Car,napn1as. Iris. and similar rlants
bv the thousands VIII be needed. An
anpeal wifi ne made tn the peonle ~
the town and surrounding country tc
start these n'ants and shrrbberv nv
subdividing plants that are alreadv IN
existence. A nIant Of certain varieties
can be divided into dozens. and IN
some instances into scores Of smalIe-
plants each Of which when set o"t
ard grown for wear. will he Of fu,'
size to transplant 30 as to get i'm