South Bellmore Civic Association, landscaper beautifying Bellmore at Mill Pond Park, post office

While Scott Anderson planted flowers at the base of the Mill Pond Park sign on May 26, people walking their dogs and jogging stopped to look. One told him how nice it seemed. Another thanked him for his efforts.

But Anderson said that, as a local business owner, he had no problem going out of his way to beautify parts of Bellmore. “In little spots, we can help out as local residents,” he said. “Each little thing that gets done will help in the long run.”

Anderson donated 30 to 40 plants to the South Bellmore Civic Association’s latest community beautification project: cleanups at the pond and Bellmore’s post office on Merrick Road.

Alison Frankel, the group’s president, reached out to Scott Anderson Design, Inc. about helping with the beautification project several weeks ago. She explained that organization members felt it was important to clean up these areas because they are community landmarks that residents frequent.

“Both locations really called for improvement,” she said. “It’s improving the visual quality of Merrick Road overall.”

Anderson, whose office is at 2314 Center Ave., agreed that Bellmore could use more beautification projects and wanted to help. The landscape designer donated the soil, rocks, and drought-tolerant flowers and shrubs that he planted in front of the Mill Pond sign, which the civic group worked to have installed earlier this year.

Lonny Dugger, a Bellmore resident of five years who has regularly attended the civic association’s meetings since it formed in February, agreed that the pond was a good place to improve.

“It’s so unassuming from the front, but then you get out of the car and realize how beautiful it is,” he said of the park. “After Sandy, we may have spent more time indoors or working on our houses. It’s time for us to reconnect with nature in a positive way.”

Dugger, other civic group members and the board also worked with Anderson’s team at the post office. They swept and picked up trash, in addition to installing planters along the front of the building.