Anybody driving or walking west down Sumner Avenue from Aberdeen into Hoquiam can see the start of small gardens on either side of Myrtle Street.

The white, pink and purple petunias in the short, rectangular boxes, are not only blooming and aesthetically pleasing, but they are a symbol. The flower boxes serve as one way people throughout Grays Harbor County are trying to make this a better place.

Even if a small step, it’s a step in a positive direction.

Despite the efforts, led by volunteer organizations such as the Hoquiam Beautification Team (HBT,) someone or a few people are trying to slow down their attempt to beautify the area. They’re vandalizing the boxes. At least one person took the foliage earlier this spring.

It’s disheartening to Betsy Seidel, coordinator of Hoquiam Crime Watch. Seidel, who’s brought smiles to children at events on the Harbor, such as wearing a McGruff The Crime Dog Jr. puppet on her hand as she played with children on National Night Out at Polson Museum in August 2022, wants the vandalism to stop.

Seidel spoke about the vandalism Monday morning, June 12. She spoke about the main reason she wanted to talk about the vandalism. She noted there are 123 organizations throughout Grays Harbor and Pacific counties that depend on volunteers.

“We certainly don’t want volunteers to get discouraged because some people choose to not respect all the good things that they’re doing,” Seidel said. “For example, ripping up plants, breaking plaques on picnic tables, you know, graffiti. Hoquiam Crime Watch is very big on eradicating graffiti.”

Seidel wants to impress upon the public the notion of while “99% of the population appreciates the flowers in Aberdeen and Hoquiam,” it’s the last percentage of the population that has been rearing their ugly heads.

“If they see the 1% vandalizing a flower pot or a building, if they could do something about it, call 911 and tell them to stop doing that because these flowers are for everybody,” Seidel said.

“It is especially frustrating for the Hoquiam Beautification Team because Lynn Ogren heads that up. … And it’s all on donations,” Seidel said. “The city of Hoquiam is not paying for that.”

Seidel said people don’t realize the work HBT does is dependent upon donors and volunteer time.

“Her adopt the pot idea is wonderful, but it’s pretty discouraging to come to a pot and see things are missing,” Seidel said.

Two of those pots are on either side of the city line — Myrtle Street and Sumner Avenue — between Aberdeen and Hoquiam. One of the pots is near the “Hoquiam: The Friendliest City” sign and the other one is right in front of Raintree Veterinary Center — 300 Myrtle St., in Hoquiam. It’s clear the care that’s taken to make the flowers look beautiful. And since the new high school graduates ended their K-12 journeys, Seidel added an eloquent message to the flower boxes. She included her own congratulations to the high school graduates.

To take care of the pots in the midst of vandals, Seidel resorted to placing a wooden sign that said “You are on CAMERA! Please do not steal from this planter. You can buy your own items from the Dollar Tree (like I did.) Thank you, Betsy Seidel.”

Fortunately, she said that has worked as “nothing was taken in May.” While she doesn’t know if the block of wood and her message helped, she hopes the boxes are ignored. But, there are other areas, such as the baskets in Central Playfield in Hoquiam, where 10 plants were taken.

“They weren’t just cut,” Seidel said. “It was like they took everything to the root. So they were going to have their own little garden.”

She said those types of acts are frustrating, because the “123 organizations” have “terrific volunteers.”

“And we want to keep the volunteers still helping and not get discouraged,” Seidel said.

To volunteer, go to KXRO.com, click on community and then volunteer opportunities. There you’ll see an Excel spreadsheet that shows the organizations and what needs they have.

Aberdeen’s Bloom Team

In Aberdeen, Bette Worth and Jane Madtson were working Tuesday as part of Bloom Team, in Aberdeen. While Bloom Team is not related to HBT, it serves the same purpose: to help beautify Grays Harbor. Worth and Madtson have worked as part of Bloom Team for years and while they have dealt with vandalism to the flower boxes in downtown Aberdeen, it’s been a good stretch of late.

“We haven’t had the vandalism we’ve had in the past,” Worth said.

Worth said in the past, people have taken flowers. Worth was dragging a wagon that was about the same size of a Radio Flyer from the former Pizza Hut location — near the corner of Broadway and East Wishkah streets — to the Comcast building on South Michigan Street. Their route continues across the street in front of Express Employment Professionals and east to Steam Donkey Brewing Company — 101 E. Wishkah St. Worth and Madtson had tools to help pick up garbage and to help with the flowers.

The pair, along with a mix of other volunteers, cleans on the second and fourth Tuesdays from June through September.

“We’ve been luckier this year so far,” Worth said.

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World “All things grow with love,” a message planted next to white, red and pink petunias, is one that Hoquiam Beautification Team hopes will spread throughout Hoquiam. While past vandalism is discouraging, it’s seen as coming from “1%” of the population.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Bette Worth, left, works alongside Jane Madtson, as part of Aberdeen’s Bloom Team. While Bloom Team isn’t related to Hoquiam Beautification Team, it seems to have the same goal: to beautify Grays Harbor. Worth and Madtson also picked up garbage through several downtown blocks of Aberdeen.