Bucket Brigade waters monument plants

Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church’s Bucket Brigade is resolving watering problems at Welcome to Ramona Monument corner where Caltrans is conducting an intersection improvement project.

In early August, the new owner of the corner, Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, received complaints that plants around the monument at state Route 67 and Highland Valley Road were dying. According to Pastor Dan Erlenbusch, Caltrans apparently had removed the existing water meter some time in June or July but had never notified him.

When he learned of the problem, Erlenbusch began organizing a bucket brigade to save the remaining plants. Church member Russ Popma leads the effort in hauling 150 to 300 gallons of water every week to irrigate the plants. This includes lifting multiple gallons of water to the shrubs in the monument planters.

Unfortunately, Erlenbusch reported, the gazanias and geraniums were lost. However the roses are coming back and all others seem to be doing well.

Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church expects to begin grading for its new campus off state Route 67 and Highland Valley Road in September. In the course of construction a new water meter eventually will be installed at which time the church will install low-water Xeriscape in front of the monument. Until then, that ground must remain bare, noted Erlenbusch.