Service club marks 50 years with gift to community.

September 30, 2020

Pictured left to right: Brian Fillion, Peter Bush, Jim Howell, Mark Trierweiler and Mat Hacker.

Service club marks 50 years with gift to community.

By Ron Beeber.

PENTWATER — Culminating months of brainstorming and planning, more than 20 Pentwater Service members gathered Friday, Sept. 25, to construct 24 sturdy, wood boxes for the community’s new Pentwater Community Gardens.

The next day, members returned to place the garden beds in rows and fill them with soil. The wood box structures will soon receive a few coats of stain, and fencing will be installed to keep out deer and rabbits.

The gardens are located on a village-owned parcel, formerly used as an outdoor ice skating rink, next to the Pentwater Township Library on Park Street. The site is now the service club’s gift to Pentwater, the capstone of the club’s 50th anniversary celebration this year. Plantings are set to begin in October.

“Thousands of pounds of food will be grown in these boxes over the years to come,” said Club President Mark Trierweiler. “The gardens will become a high-profile meeting place for residents to share their experiences of growing food for themselves and their families.”

Earlier this year, club members considered a dozen possible projects before choosing this one. A team then worked to select a location; get the necessary Pentwater village government approval; design the layout led by Peter Bush and Jim Howell; and determine how interested residents will be assigned to grow their own produce in the 24 beds.

Bush was able to get nearly all of the materials donated. The planned demolition of a neighbor’s large, wood deck became the source of most of the lumber. Club members then disassembled the deck; power washed the pieces; and cut the boards into usable parts for 10 raised beds and 14 ground-level beds. Beckman Brothers of Shelby donated the soil, and Great Lakes Fencing of Hart donated the fencing.

“The gardens will be our club’s most visible contribution to the people of Pentwater, a reminder of our commitment to the community,” added Trierweiler. “Our club’s purpose is to encourage and promote good citizenship, worthy community projects, and a better-informed citizenry. This is a great example of what we really strive to do — make a great place even better!”