By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-911149.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo had an extreme home makeover. Now, an east side neighborhood is getting an extreme gardening makeover.
The neighborhood bordering Olmsted's Martin Luther King Junior park is not as pristine as it once was. Buffalo's former mayor Chester Kowal once lived here. But decades of neglect and economic decline in the city have challenged the historic North Parade Avenue.
Today and all this week 13 landscapers will dig into a complete gardening makeover of 19 front yards in the neighborhood.
Thomas Herrera Mishler is president of the Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy. The group is coordinating the volunteer project. He said landscaping is a proven way to improve property values in neighborhoods. Herrera Mishler said property values around Delaware Park have gone up by 76 percent since the conservancy took over care of the Olmsted parks.
The gradening makeover project is part of Buffalo's National Garden Festival with assistance also from the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau. All the plant materials and labor are being donated by the Western New York Landscape Association.
Neil Stern is president of the association. He said they want to make it an annual event. He said it's a good way to improve neighborhoods, and gives landscapers a chance to promote what they do.
The public is invited to head over to North Parade Avenue to see their work in action. And you can help decide which front yard looks best. Ballots are available on site and you can also vote online at National Garden Festival.