By Andrea Cordle
Southwest Editor
Planters and banners have hung from poles in the Grove City Town Center for years. The city will expand this streetscape program to include main thoroughfares.
Grove City officials want residents and visitors to have a visual treat while traveling through the city.
At the March 2 council meeting, Don Walters, the community and business relations officers for the city of Grove City, presented a new streetscape plan.
Some residents may notice that every spring, the city hangs planters on the light poles in the Town Center. According to Walters, more than 100 planters are hung in the downtown area. That idea is going to expand to other areas in the city.
Starting in May, an additional 400 planters will adorn the light poles along Stringtown Road and State Route 665. The planters will also stretch further out on Broadway, from Ventura Boulevard down to Interstate 270.
“No matter where people enter or leave the city, they will be exposed to the planters,” said Walters. “It is a real stroke of color and calmness.”
The planters contain a mix of flowers, including petunias and amethysts. The planters will be hung in May and will remain on the poles for 18 weeks.
According to Walters, the project will cost $95,000 a year. The price includes the flowers and the maintenance of the flowers.
Part of this streetscape project also includes banners. The planters will be hung on every light pole and banners will be placed on every other light pole, along the chosen roadways.
Walters said this project falls in line with Grove City 2050, which is an effort to update city plans and policies to shape how the city grows. He said one of the guiding principals of Grove City 2050 is to keep a small-town feel.
“This helps to keep a positive community identity,” said Walters.
Councilman Ted Berry asked city administrators if there were any other ideas to beautify the city.
“Flowers are nice but is there more we can do along 62?” asked Berry.
The councilman said that area, along Broadway near Interstate 270, needs more work than just planters. He said that area is going to be a gateway into the redeveloped Beulah Park neighborhood.
“We have put a substantial investment in that area,” said Berry.
City Administrator Chuck Boso said the planters and banners will make a visual impact in that area but said part of the problem in beautification and roadwork efforts is that some of 62 is located in the city, but other parts fall into the village of Urbancrest and private properties.
The village of Urbancrest has been cooperative with the city on beautification efforts.
In other news, council voted in favor of a dispatching and communication services agreement with Jackson Township. This new agreement will be for five years.
According to the agreement, the township will pay the city $175,282 in 2020 for emergency services dispatching. According to Boso, the cost will go up 4 percent each year of the contract. By 2024, the township will pay the city $205,000.
The agreement will end on Dec. 31, 2024.
The city also provides dispatching and communication services for Prairie and Pleasant townships.
