Beautiful Othello

OTHELLO — If you agree that Othello is one of the cleanest, brightest small communities anywhere, you can thank the Othello Beautification Committee for much of that.

The OBC, which was just a three-way conversation in 2006, uses plants and materials that can be as bright on a sunny winter day as a hot summer day. Evergreens, stone pillars and attractive pottery do the job.

The OBC did not start out as a grand civic organization, according to founding member Dave Sperl. His wife Ann and family friend Sandi Dodge wanted to make Main Street more attractive. The trio planted a few flowers on several corners.

“From there, this idea has grown much bigger than we ever imagined it would be,” Sperl said. “As others saw what was beginning to happen, they joined us with their efforts.”

The official OBC was formed eventually, and a large number of volunteers has joined. The projects they accomplish are nothing short of outstanding. They are big, colorful and complete – no half measures.

“With huge support from our community, we continue each year working on the next phase of our dream,” Sperl said.

The OBC has an award program that encourages all businesses and residents to do their share. There is a Curb Appeal Award each year for one small business and one corporate business. There were 25 residential beautification awards this year.

“We just want people to know we are noticing their efforts toward making Othello beautiful,” OBC President Lynette Caruthers said.

One-time projects are not all the OBC does. Except for the mowing, it maintains the grounds at the Othello Senior Center.

Sperl is a worker-bee type of member. He looks after the watering of all flower pots on Main Street and helps with weed control and other chores. And he has built 53 wooden benches to place around town strategically for the benefit of the residents.

One of the projects is the beautification of Main Street. It will take some time to complete the 14-block project, and it will require donations of many man-hours and equipment, not to mention funds for the purchase of materials.

The OBC dedicated the first block of new light poles and red pots on July 24, 2014 with numerous OBC members present.

The Main Street project, begun in 2014, calls for attractive, decorative street lighting from one end of the street to the other, It includes evergreen shrubs planted in the ground and flowering plants in bright red pots. There is a drip irrigating system.

“This project is ongoing and has finished the first two blocks,” Sperl said.

Caruthers noted six poles arrived just before Thanksgiving for the third block. They will be stored until spring because of the uncertainty of late fall and winter weather.

The poles are expensive, costing $7,000 each. They are custom made of Stresscrete, a spun concrete aggregate. They will still be here 60-100 years from now. That’s one reason they are so expensive.

Another project, which took about six months to complete, beautified 14th Avenue from Main Street to the Othello Community Hospital. The group cleaned up and beautified the Othello U.S. Post Office in 2012.

One of the projects involved a Boy Scout Eagle Badge project. The candidate received direction, help and ideas from the Othello Beautification Committee.

Although the City of Othello may help physically, funding generally must be raised privately. The OBC gets the funding through direct donations and fund-raisers. The biggest of these is the annual Banners & Blooms Auction Dinner.

“The Othello Public works team has been invaluable with the Main Street lighting project,” Caruthers said. “They are overall very supportive of beautification projects.”

Also invaluable to the Main Street Project is Dug-X, which provides the concrete, donating the labor.