By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

The creeks and dry creek beds running through Marion make for unique locations throughout town.

One of those locations belongs to Frank Tajchman. He owns a stretch of property along Luta Creek at the north end of 4th St.

“My property ends in the middle of the creek,” he said.

Tajchman has built a long row of stacked hedge wood along the sidewalk to provide privacy. Vines of Virginia Creeper curl up and over the wood in spots.

Though nothing fancy, the property behind the firewood contains a driveway, a raised garden bed, and stone steps leading down to several fishing platforms along the creek. Tajchman uses an old house on the property for storage.

Now 66, he retired from Spirit Aero Systems last year.

Tajchman was working at Boeing (now Spirit) when the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred, and five months later, he was laid off. He couldn’t find a suitable job, so he took a one-year class in horticulture at Wichita Area Technical College. The company paid for it.

“You wouldn’t believe how much there is to learn about growing things,” he said.

He was unemployed for three years and bought the property along Luta Creek in 2003.

“I love nature, and I wanted some land along the water,” he said.

He likes to fish and putter around his property.

Tajchman has several raised garden beds in the backyard of his house on Locust Street. He mainly grows potatoes and tomatoes, most of which he has no problem giving away. He also has several exotic plants that are kept alive in the basement every winter and brought out in spring.

As for the hedge wood fence, Tajchman said Marion administrator Roger Holter doesn’t like it.

“He says it’s a fire hazard,” Tajchman said. “I eventually will build a regular fence.”