The Ventura chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association has chosen Safe Harbor East in Simi Valley to receive a landscape makeover as part of the organization?EUR??,,????'?????<

Safe Harbor East, one of two child advocacy centers overseen by the District Attorney?EUR??,,????'?????<

The CLCA, a nonprofit trade organization, selected the site as its community project. Designers from Verdant Landscaping spent several days measuring, photographing and drawing at the site. First Impressions Landscaping, Don Spratt Landscape and Landscapes by Jeffery also provided assistance. An approximate 30-person crew provided by association members spent two Saturdays restoring the existing landscaping and dethatching the backyard, pruning a small orchard of fruit trees, and a complete make-over for the front yard starting with removal of the old, dead lawn. Then soil amendments were rototilled into the soil and a parking area was created with landscape timbers. Another Saturday was spent installing a new irrigation system, sod and plantings for the front. Workers finished by constructing a waterfall during a teach in that was held by Hydro-scape and Aqua-Scapes that uses minimal water. Landscape contractors donated most of the materials, including the waterfall and three mature birch trees.

Hydroscape and Aquascapes held an informative ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The interior renovations were a project of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Steve Westerfield, project manager was immediately struck by the how child-friendly the organization appeared to be. The worthy cause seemed to somehow touch everyone involved, and as Westerfield commented to LCN, seeking donations was made easy because very few people turned down such a heart-warming cause.

Project manager Steve Westerfield, surveys the work of a member of the crew whose task was to prune the many varieties of citrus trees that adorn the yard.

Safe Harbor East is an interview and advocacy center for child and adult victims of physical and sexual assault. It provides forensic medical examinations and interviews in a safe; secure victim-friendly setting and links victims and their families with support services. The center opened in 2003 in a home purchased by the city of Simi Valley and renovated by the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce and Home Aid, a philanthropic arm of the Building Industry Association.

Source: Simi Valley Acorn, VenturaCountyStar.com