By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Mayor Mike Aspacher had grown tired of complaints about the out of control weeds and overgrown landscaping at the downtown federal building that houses the U.S. Post Office.
The building is not city property – but many people blamed Bowling Green for the eyesore.
“Frankly, the condition of that landscaping the last couple years has been an embarrassment,” the mayor said Tuesday evening during a City Council meeting.
“Like me, some of you may have received some complaints or concerns over the last several years about the condition of the landscaping around the post office,” Aspacher said to council members.
One local builder repeatedly brought up the deteriorated landscaping to the mayor.
“After hearing it three or four or five times, I asked if he was willing to be part of the solution – and he was,” the mayor said.
The builder, Jeff Rettig, had his employees work at the site for several days, pulling weeds and poorly maintained plants.
“I’m grateful for Jeff’s willingness to make that contribution and be part of the solution,” Aspacher said.
From there, two anonymous donors agreed to pay a local contractor to put mulch around the post office where plants had been pulled.
“They made themselves part of the solution,” the mayor said. “It will be greatly improved.”
The immediate goal was to get the site spruced up before the Black Swamp Arts Festival, which will have an expanded footprint this weekend, south past the post office property at the corner of South Main and Washington streets.
The problem, Aspacher said, is that while the federal government owns the site, it does not provide adequate funding for maintenance. The mayor said he will continue to work with U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, to resolve the issue.
This is not the first time the Bowling Green community has tried to clean up the landscaped areas at the federal building.
About 18 years ago, a neighborhood group planted landscaping and maintained the property after some houses were torn down to add parking to the post office. However, the volunteers have dried up over the years.
In 2019, some Bowling Green residents grew tired of looking at the overgrown weeds surrounding the U.S. Post Office building and voiced their complaints on Facebook. The postmaster at that point said the problem was due to the post office’s contract with a groundskeeper expiring. A new company was hired – but it only provided mowing, no landscaping. Because the site is a federal building, any changes in contracts take time and must get district approval.
City Council President Mark Hollenbaugh thanked Aspacher for finding a solution to the overgrown landscaping.
“People don’t understand it’s not our property,” Hollenbaugh said. “All you have to do is look at Wooster Green or any of our parks to see how impeccably maintained all of our things are.”
Aspacher expressed his appreciation for members of the community stepping up.
“It’s been a bit of an uphill battle,” he said. “But people are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. I’m grateful for those willing to contribute to a solution.”
