Plants to cost about $3,800, to be ordered from Pesche’s
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
The City of Elkhorn Finance and Judicial Committee approved the purchase of the potting soil and plants needed to kick-off the city’s downtown beautification project this spring at its meeting Monday night.
The total cost to purchase the materials was about $3,800, or about $51 for each of the 75 planters purchased last year.
Alderman Tom Myrin first brought the project – which aims to install cement planters around the city’s downtown area – before the municipal services and utilities committee last May. The project is expected to cost approximately $9,500 total, which covers the cost of 65 cement planters as well as plants.
The city opted in favor of a canyon sunset sun layout of the flowers, featuring several five different plants ranging from grasses to yellow, red and purple flowers. All of the flowers are being ordered from Elkhorn’s Pesche’s Greenhouse, where the city also ordered the planters.
City of Elkhorn Manager Martin Nuss said in a response to a question from Alderman Scott McClory that the pots are ceramic, thus avoiding concerns that pots could be burned or melted by cigarette butts.
McClory made the motion to approve, with a second from Myrin. Alderman James D’Alessandro was not in attendance at Monday’s meeting.
Myrin said back in May he and Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chris Clapper visited downtown businesses to gauge their interest in the project, which he said was overwhelmingly positive.
Myrin said in May businesses are looking forward to the project and even on streets where there are only a few businesses, but numerous pedestals, those businesses said they would take care of as many of the planters as needed.
“The commitment I asked of them was first thing in the morning pick out any garbage, make it clean and on the super hot days, give it some extra water,” he said.
“They’re very excited about being able to do this. In fact, I have three separate businesses that have said, ‘show me a street where the businesses can’t take care of these, or won’t because of vacations, sick, whatever, and I will do it.’ They’re that dialed into this.”
