Huntley seeks to add color to Green Trees Apts.

Huntley bills itself as the friendly village with country charm.

Now one Huntley trustee hopes to bring some of that country charm to the Green Trees Apartments, a public housing development for low-income seniors and the disabled.

Trustee Pam Fender is coordinating a “spring fling” work project at the complex that encourages volunteers to plant perennial flowers, oak trees, bushes and plants that are native to Illinois.

Besides giving the 60 or so residents living there something nice to look at once the weather gets better, it also will give them a reason to spend more time outside.

“These are not people who have a lot of money for recreation, these are not people who can afford to take a vacation,” Fender said. “It's basically a feel-good project. When you get done, you feel like you've done something nice, directly.”

The McHenry County Housing Authority is using about $8,000 from its reserves for the project, said Julie Biel Claussen, the housing authority's executive director. Her goal is to create a more livable space for residents.

“Combining money in reserves with the volunteers and the donations, we're able to get a lot of bang for the buck,” she said.

The Huntley Jaycees, Huntley High School students, Marlowe Middle School students and members from St. Mary's Catholic Church have all made commitments to help out, Fender said. As well, Karl Krogstad of Krogstad Land Design Limited in Crystal Lake has donated his time to the project as its landscape architect.

He planted seedlings at the site a while back, but it will take three years before those plants — purple coneflowers and black-eyed susans — mature. The potted plants will supplement the ones that eventually mature, he said.

Three years ago, Fender organized a paintathon to gussy up five apartments in one day at the complex and rounded up individuals and groups to do just that.

She was the natural choice the lead the plant project this time around, Claussen said.

“She's been fantastic in organizing people, she's wonderful,” Claussen said. “The (plant) project would not happen without her.”

The planting starts now through the end of May.

Groups will be showing up to plant at 1 p.m. on May 6, and at 8 a.m. on May 12 as well as on May 19.

If you'd like to organize a work party with friends on those days or donate money for more plants, call Fender at (847) 302-6772 or email her at pamfenderhuntley@msn.com.

You're also invited to bring any hand tools or shovels, wheelbarrows, wagons or any other wheels to help move plants from one place to the other.