Tree-lined streets, community garden in planning stages
Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/News/60287/
BENTONVILLE — Just as New York is defined by more than the Statue of Liberty, and St. Louis is defined by more than the Arch, Bentonville is looking for new ways to give the city a character and identity as much more than the home of a retail giant.
That’s why the city’s Tree and Landscape Committee is looking at two new ways to define Bentonville through gardening.
One way is through the city’s Street Tree Corridor Plan. The purpose of the plan is to designate streets for treeplanting and to identify tree species to provide aesthetic improvement with attractive street themes; assist developers with tree selection for compliance with the city’s landscape ordinance; and include trees that are locally available.
“ We are wanting to make more use of (the city’s ) street corridor plan, ” committee member and alderman Chris Sooter said. “ We’re taking some of the more-established, widened roads and planting some trees that are on the corridor plan, ” he said.
For an example, residents can see the tree-lined corridor on Tiger Boulevard between Northeast J Street and Mc-Collum Road, and on Central Avenue between Walton Boulevard and Southwest / Northwest A Street, which has been lined with redbuds and red maples.
The city is also in the brainstorming stages of developing a community garden that would allow growers, school groups and other members of the community to grow their own produce and learn about agriculture along the way.
The city’s Tree and Landscape Committee is also working on a number of projects to improve the city’s gateways and welcome visitors to the city.
The committee, which began the gateway project under the direction of Mayor Bob McCaslin, is working on projects that surround signs with landscaping arrangements to provide a classic, timeless look for the city’s gateways.
Each gateway project will be equipped with lighting, as well as an irrigation system to ease regular maintenance. Groundwork has begun on landscaping at the intersection of Southeast Walton Boulevard and Interstate 540.