Downtown Starkville”s street corners are bare this week as the trees and shrubs which once occupied dozens of concrete planters have been moved to the Starkville Community Market site one block south.
Plans are in the works, however, to plant trees and colorful annuals in the empty planters within the next week.
Crews late last week removed existing trees, flowers and plants and relocated them to the Starkville Community Market site, at the corner of Jackson Street and Lampkin Street, as part of a downtown beautification project. Because of rain and other “unforeseeable circumstances,” efforts to refill those planters were delayed a week, said Starkville Main Street Manager Jennifer Gregory, who also serves on the city”s beautification committee and is vice president for tourism development at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. Maple trees, elm trees, and colorful annuals such as pansies will be planted in the sidewalk planters and corner planters by Nov. 24, she said.
“Ideally, the plants would have been in the ground by this Friday to have a beautiful, fresh new atmosphere in downtown Starkville for our visitors for the home (Mississippi State University) football game, but unfortunately, because of these circumstances, that just wasn”t possible,” Gregory said. “We are certain that Starkvillians and visitors will be pleased with the new look of the plants downtown, once they are in place. We appreciate everyone”s patience as we move forward as quickly as possible with this exciting project.”
The city of Starkville issued a matching funds opportunity to the city”s beautification committee in the amount of $15,000 for specific city beautification efforts. The committee was able to raise $15,000 from private and public entities to complete the matching opportunity, which resulted in a total of $30,000 for city beautification efforts to be managed by the beautification committee.
The committee brought forward a plan of several projects that was approved by the Board of Aldermen, which included a major landscaping project in downtown Starkville. Discussions have been taking place for some months to choose more colorful and vibrant trees and plants that would include a variety of annual plants to be replaced twice a year for maximum seasonal color and aesthetics, Gregory said. The decision was also made to donate any removed plants to the Starkville Community Market so as not to lose or waste any thriving plants, she said.
The Town and Country Garden Club is partnering with the beautification committee on the project. A number of private donors contributed to the matching funds, along with the Mississippi Arts Commission, Starkville Area Arts Council, Starkville Visitors and Convention Council, Kiwanis Club of Starkville, Downtown Business Association and Town and Country Garden Club.
“We are excited to partner again with the Town and Country Garden Club to move forward with the downtown landscaping project and we look forward to the results of this city/community collaboration,” Gregory said.
Starkville resident Milo Burnham attended the Starkville Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night and asked the board about the removal of plants downtown. He was concerned the city”s street corners appear bare with the holidays approaching, and was concerned whether or not empty planters will be filled by the city”s Christmas parade on Dec. 4.
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