For giving a fresh new look to Palisades Elementary School, Jim Blumel has been chosen by the Pacific Palisades Community Council as this year’s Golden Sparkplug winner, an award that ‘honors citizens who ignite ideas and projects into community action which affect us all.’ He will receive his award at the Citizen of the Year celebration at the Riviera Country Club on April 14. ‘He re-landscaped Palisades Elementary out of his own pocket, with enthusiasm,’ said Council Chairman Norman Kulla. ‘He initiated the kind of volunteer and community spirit that is so characteristic of Palisadians, so essential of being part of the community where people appreciate one another. People felt enthusiastic about how he approached what he did, as well as what he did.’ Blumel has lived in the Palisades for three years with his wife Jill, also an active community volunteer, and their three daughters’Leah, a third grader at Palisades Elementary; Juliana, a first grader at the school; and Isabella, 3-1/2, who attends Methodist Preschool. ‘I have two kids at the school and one more who will be attending,’ Blumel said. ‘I just decided it would look nice [to have new landscaping]’for the community, the kids and the school. The architecture is nice, it’s a beautiful school, but the landscaping was old and terrible.’ Blumel, who owns Sunset Landscaping, provided the plants, design and labor. Fifteen of his employees came out on a Saturday to remove all of the old plants and some of the trees and trim other trees in front of the Via de la Paz school. A team of five spent a week on the planting of a dozen varieties of plants, including daylilies, variegated pittosporum, pink breath of heaven and birds of paradise. They also fixed the aging sprinkler system. ‘I planted a lot of perennial shrubs that bloom throughout the year,’ Blumel said. ‘Plants that have flowers’reds, pinks and purples at different times of the year.’ He also made sure the plants and bushes were low-maintenance, and that they would ‘thrive on neglect.’ ‘We appreciate that he supplied not only the physical landscaping, trees, grass and dirt, but all the manpower. He brought in the workers over several days, and made it a reality,’ said principal Tami Weiser. ‘The kids and parents appreciate how it looks so fresh, clean and modern.’ Blumel, 40, grew up in Palm Springs and graduated from UCLA with a degree in political science. He began his career working in the banking/brokerage business in New York City, but left to explore his entrepreneurial bent. He started Sunset Landscaping with his brother Daniel 15 years ago. The company, which has 380 employees, specializes in commercial landscaping in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties. ‘What I like about landscaping is you can physically see the results of what you do for a living,’ said Blumel, who will graduate next month from the Executive MBA program at USC. Blumel travels frequently to different sites for his job, including offices in Carlsbad and Valencia, where the company’s 9-acre nursery is located. Traveling on the 5 Freeway from the Santa Clarita Valley last April, he stopped to help driver Jos’ Sanchez climb out of the window of his burning big rig’a heroic deed that was reported in the Palisadian-Post. Blumel said he was embarrassed by the coverage, but moved by the response from Sanchez, his children and his boss. ‘The act was more rewarding than any recognition.’ Blumel has provided other donations and volunteer service to schools. In 2000, his company was commended by County Supervisor Mike Antonovich for ‘outstanding community service’ to schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and churches in Santa Clarita. ‘We always support the local community where our business is located; they support us and we want to support them back,’ Blumel said. Since moving to the Alphabet Streets in August 2002, he feels a strong sense of community in the Palisades. ‘It’s nice to be part of the neighborhood.’
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