For immediate release
Pictures attached
For more information, contact John Wiles,
KDA executive director, 454-7926

 More than 110 Kokomo Downtown Association volunteers planted 6,510 petunia cuttings in 310 baskets that will hang from light posts on West Sycamore Street from St. Joseph Hospital to Union Street and from light posts in the downtown area.

 

Volunteers planted cuttings on March 28 and again on March 29 inside a Country Raisin's greenhouse in south west Howard County. The baskets will remain in the greenhouse until May when City of Kokomo Traffic Systems employees hang them on the light posts.

 

"This is the third year that Mark and Julie Hilligoss of Country Raisin's have hosted the basket planting," John Wiles KDA executive director, said. "They have an assembling-line process that allows us to complete the planting in four hours."

 

The basket planting is the continuation of a beautification project by the City of Kokomo and the Kokomo Downtown Association, which was started in 2006 when 140 volunteers planted cuttings in 42 hanging baskets, and petunias and 12,000 tulips and daffodils around 75 decorative trees in downtown Kokomo.

 

"A clean, attractive downtown Kokomo spurs economic development, and improves the quality of life for visitors and residents," John Wiles, KDA executive director, said. "The flowers planted by the volunteers will create a vibrant and appealing downtown experience, which is what companies and families look for in a community when they look to relocate."

 

Organizations, schools, and businesses represented by the volunteers included National City Bank, Carver Community Center, St. Joseph Hospital, Salin Bank, Kokomo Central Middle School and Central Middle School Student Council, Kokomo High School's Girls League Council and Students Taking a New Direction club, Tri-Central Schools, Western Schools, Freedom Financial, Howard County Master Gardeners Association, Wildcat Guardians, Club Kokomo Roadrunners, Break Away Bicycle Club, Rotary Club of Kokomo, City of Kokomo, UAW and GM retirees, The Wyman Group, Homefront Learning Center, Noon Kiwanis, United Way, City of Firsts Volkswagen, Apollo Club House at Howard Community Hospital, Guardian Angel Foundation, and Grace United Methodist Church.
 
 "We have many individuals, businesses, and organizations, who are working hard with KDA and city government to make Kokomo and Howard County a better place to live and work," Wiles said. "I applaud all of them and thank them for their efforts."