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| Leah St. John speaks to Warren Shibe committee. |
A group of 16 people meet Thursday, March 29th to make plans, offer suggestions and organize. Included in the meeting were volunteers and some business owners.
Plans call for beginning the endeavor on the portion of Main Street from Cypress Street to Church Street. The discussion included the need to remove the Old Bryant Furniture building and the need for new awnings on several buildings. The committee talked about immediate plans to power wash the sidewalks and buildings.
Goals listed were as follows:
*Restore Curb appeal
*Preserve buildings
*Instill community pride
*Secure volunteers
*Support downtown merchants
*Be a catalyst for downtown develpment
Mrs. St John stated the group plans to work with the Townscape organization that spearheaded improvements to downtown a number of years ago.
I hope this group will stop and think twice before doing anything drastic about the red maple trees that line Main Street downtown. Some folks might not like the way they look, or the merchants may not like to deal with the leaves in the fall. But these trees provide important benefits that should be considered before removal. The group should spend the money to hire a professional arborist to help them make the best decision. Chris Stuhlinger over at UAM can provide advice and names of professionals.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the trees look OK now and they will provide valuable shade this summer when they are fully leafed out, and they will look better too. When one considers the cost of removal, and the fact that growing replacements would take many years, the obvious choice is to keep them. The grates around the trees should be removed, and the concrete cut back as necessary to give them room for healthy growth. Keep the tree butchers away - again, hire a professional!