Mayor Jeffrey Lamarand (left) and members of Taylor’s Beautification Commission present a proclamation and the 2010 Keep Michigan Beautiful Award to Jim and Karen Taylor during the Nov. 3 City Council meeting. Commissioners are Michele McNeely (fourth from left), Diann Spicer and Lois Adams.
TAYLOR – City officials have added their congratulations to Karen and Jim Taylor, winners of the 2010 Keep Michigan Beautiful Award.
The Taylors, who were notified about the statewide award in October, received a proclamation earlier this month from the city praising them for their efforts that have made Taylor a better place.
The Taylors are longtime residents who are avid gardeners and believers in positive change in the city. They are members of the Taylor Garden Club, the Taylor Conservatory Foundation and the city’s Beautification Commission.
Jim Taylor is the facilitator of safety and quality control at BASF Corp., and his wife is the owner of Karen Taylor Photography Inc., located in the city. Karen, a master gardener, was the overall winner of the 2009 Taylor Conservatory Foundation’s Focus on Nature photo contest, and her photos of various Monarch waystations for butterflies throughout the city have been featured in the Taylor Info city newsletter.
The Taylors have been the driving force behind the creation of what officials call the beautiful and impressive Monarch waystation butterfly garden along Goddard Road at Dudley near the entryway to their 144-home Rose Garden Subdivision. They coordinated the efforts of their neighbors to create, design, plant, maintain, contribute and otherwise take pride in the garden.
The garden is certified through the Monarch Watch program and is one of the original eight public gardens established by the Taylor Garden Club, the Beautification Commission, the city and local residents. The garden, in fact, has been chosen by the Taylor Garden Club to be part of the 2011 Taylor Garden Walk.
Jim Taylor also designed the entryway garden and signage in the island that welcomes people to the Rose Garden Subdivision. He coordinated financial and material donors, volunteers and assistance from the city.
In addition, Karen Taylor was one of the volunteers who shared plants from Monarch waystations with Warren after a reported theft in that city.
The proclamation signed by the city’s elected officials and presented by Mayor Jeffrey Lamarand concludes by thanking the Taylors for “making such a difference in our great city and making Taylor proud.”