Lowe's team hits the gateways

It comes from the home office.Top management at Lowe's Home Improvement wants its management teams at local stores to be part of the communities they serve.It's a mandate and the company means what they say, according to Tom Ware, manager at the Sandusky store on Milan Road."The company wants us out in the community, making a difference and being a partner with community groups," said Ware.Past projects by the Lowe's team include the shelter at Back to the Wild, which serves as a training and teaching arena at the animal sanctuary in Castalia.The latest project for his team at Lowe's Home Improvemet is the Company's Coming Gateways cleanup from 9-11 a.m. Saturday. Lowe's has a team that will walk Monroe Street to collect refuse, bag trash and general cleanup duties. About a dozen Lowe's employees will make up one of the 20 teams that will span the city and city parks on Saturday cleaning up everything in sight.Saturday is the first day of three for the Company's Coming cleanup.On April 30, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. residents will be able to drive through and drop off old couches, furniture, mattresses, appliances, electronics and other items at the Shelby Street boat ramp.The third and final event day is May 14, which has been dubbed Opening Day. It will be at the Schade-Mylander Plaza downtown, with speakers, entertainment, planting workshops and free health clinics at the State Theatre provided by Firelands Regional Medical Center.It was all a good fit for his team, said Ware, a Sandusky resident."We can green light things right here," he said. "We make the call right here and get things started."Two employees — Tom Shoaff and Terri Leed — also will be giving clinics starting April 30 on how to pot plants, what the best plants are locally and other valuable information to help residents beautify their homes.Shoaff and Leed are participating in the "Sandusky in Bloom" portion of the cleanup from April 30 to May 14, when residents are encouraged to beautify their homes. Barnes Nursery in Huron and the city greenhouse also will be offering clinics on potting plants and beautifying homes. "We'll walk you through the 'how to' of achieving what you want," Ware said.Lowe's Home Improvement also has donated a Troy-Bilt Walk Behind lawn mower valued at $200 as one of dozens of prizes that will be given away at the Opening Day celebration May 14 downtown.SAVE 10 percentLowe's will give a 10 percent discount for all purchases in the greenhouse and garden center on April 30 and May 7 if customers mention they're shopping as part of the Company's Coming Cleanup. Troy-bilt lawn mower donated by Lowe's Home Improvement will be on of dozens of prizes given away at Opening Day May 14 in downtown Sandusky.