Written by Carol P. Bartold   

Dec. 17, 2014: On December 4, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC), the Village of Bronxville, and the Bronxville Post Office celebrated the completion of a six-month project by the council to renovate the landscaping at the post office.

When BBC president George McKinnis and Mayor Mary Marvin cut the ribbon to honor the work done, they actually marked the culmination of almost ten years of effort in gaining permission from the Yonkers postmaster to undertake the landscaping project.

"The front of the post office has had weeds, dead lawns, and trees that went untrimmed for years," McKinnis said. "It was very out of character with the downtown area, especially the four corners at Pondfield Road and Midland Avenue."

McKinnis noted that every year, for almost ten years, the Bronxville Beautification Council approached the senior Yonkers postmaster with an offer and commitment to complete the project, from design to implementation. Each year, permission was denied as the postmaster expressed reluctance to allow people not hired by the postal service to carry out such a complete change to the grounds.

Persistence paid off, because this year a new senior postmaster "joyously accepted" the council's offer with great appreciation, per McKinnis.

Urban landscape architect Maryrose Nihlen rendered a detailed professional drawing of the post office property that laid out a landscape plan, indicated where specific plants should be located, and gave a bill of particulars that laid out a plan of action for stages of the work. Nihlen's training in urban landscaping led to a design that combines plantings that enhance the interesting architectural features of the building rather than cover them up.

After the existing trees, shrubs, and grass were removed, the front lawn was deeply rototilled, rolled with a heavy roller, and seeded with a high-quality bluegrass that will thrive in a predominantly sunny environment. Arborvitae that will grow taller were planted in an area around the flagpole. The BBC installed an irrigation system to maintain the new landscape features.

Bronxville residents donated new benches whose design is consistent with the post office's existing cast-iron railings

To complete the front streetscape, the BBC hired a mason to widen the walk to the post office's front steps and create a wider opening where the new walk meets the Pondfield Road sidewalk.

Additional stonework on the post office's south side creates a separation from the grounds of the cooperative apartments next door. New stonework also shields utility meters from the view of pedestrians.

The village contributed some of its spare, fully grown evergreens that were planted to soften the view of a concrete alleyway on the post office's north side.

Funding for the overhaul of the Bronxville Post Office's landscaping came from the Bronxville Beautification Council's 2014 garden tour. In recognition of the Town of Eastchester's 350th anniversary, the BBC expanded the tour to include gardens in Eastchester and Tuckahoe, as well as Bronxville. "We had the largest number of people purchase tickets we've ever had," McKinnis reported. "We brought in enough money to do a professional refurbishment."

In "adopting" the Bronxville Post Office, the Bronxville Beautification Council will continue its work on the grounds, adding new plants when needed and arranging for tree pruning.

Pictured here: Officials gathering  for the ribbon-cutting to celebrate the new landscaping of the Bronxville Post Office:  (L to R) Meg Sunier, Maryrose Nihlen, George McKinnis, Mayor Mary Marvin, Michael Marks from Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co., and a post office official.

Photo by A. Warner