SQUARE: BOUNDARIES AND BLOOM
That really made me happy. After the tree-planting day on March 19, our Ouvertureplein was thoroughly tackled with lots of manpower and heavy equipment. The flower boxes got a proper makeover. It happened during the week of spring fever.
I’m not going to describe everything that was done—you’ve seen it yourself. Our three large plant beds have been rejuvenated. I won’t pass judgment. My hand is easily filled, as they say. But still, a bit of commentary. Three large flower pots have been given a LITTLE TREE. I believe it’s a serviceberry. They’re blooming beautifully now. Soon there will be berries! A bit stingy though—just three?
Have you also seen that POLE? It’s a bee/insect hotel. Now we just need the bees!
Last night, young people presented their visions for the future of Eindhoven at the DYNAMO youth center. The word that came up over and over again? GREEN, GREEN, GREEN.
This morning, near the pétanque court, a player was talking about the chessboard on the square. He wanted to arrange for large chess pieces. We told him we already have those—stored in our VTA. So why aren’t they ever placed on the chessboard anymore? It would be great for kids and parents to play with them!
By the way… we’re still missing the balance beams. Why were they removed? Dangerous? Rotten? Come on… with a little effort and a skilled worker, it could easily be fixed.
And now… the moral of the story: PARENTS and square (terrace) users, please take note. These flower beds, the pole, and those little trees are there to beautify the place. If kids trample straight through the beds, that’s not okay. What’s worse is if we adults and parents say nothing. You don’t need to be a gardener or a city warden to step in. It’s called raising kids. Teaching… correcting.
I still remember the old signs in public parks: KEEP OFF THE GRASS. Even without signs, with so many adults around, this should be easy to enforce, right?
— Hein from the Square