Streetscape committee plans multi-phased improvements
The Peabody Streetscape committee met Thursday at the city building to interview representatives from Landplan Corp., a design and landscape engineering firm in Lawrence. Landplan is the third firm to be interviewed by the Streetscape committee in its search for a professional group to oversee improvements in downtown Peabody.
The Streetscape group has been meeting under the leadership of Mary Avery since last spring in an effort to determine appropriate treatment for the downtown area.
For several years before the downtown Bradford pear trees were removed last February, debates about the trees had been tossed about by merchants, citizens, and the city council.
The trees had become overgrown; bird droppings were a big problem, the sidewalks near the tree trunks had buckled, and people complained that they could no longer see the unique architecture of Peabody's buildings.
On the other hand, the shade was a plus in the summer, the foliage was gorgeous in the fall, and the trees softened the look of the downtown area. Merchants prized them for their ability to reduce fading of inventory.
After the trees were removed, the Streetscape committee began looking into replacing them with a variety that would be smaller, less dense, and yet provide some of the amenities the merchants had enjoyed from the Bradford pears. It soon became apparent to the committee that it was not just a matter of replacing trees.
The sidewalks needed repair. The water lines that run under Walnut Street are between 70 and 100 years old. They will not last much longer. Several of the streetlights in the downtown area are severely rusted at the base and will need to be replaced in the foreseeable future.
The committee decided that a comprehensive design was going to be needed. It also became apparent that neither the fund-raising committee nor the city itself was going to be able to shoulder the financial responsibility the project would take. The Streetscape group decided to seek input from professionals in the area of downtown design and landscaping.
The firms that have been interviewed are well-versed in grant availability, trouble-shooting, and creating the proper atmosphere while taking parking, handicap accessibility, space ratios, and essential services like water and utility lines into consideration.
"There is no point in putting in new sidewalks," said Avery, "if they are going to have to be torn up in two or three years to repair the water line serving a business. We realized fairly quickly that this was not just about selecting trees. To do the project right, we are going to have to make it a long term process that will be funded and handled in stages."
"By working with professionals who have done this kind of work in other communities, we will be able to get some expert advice on where to start and how to find the funding to do it. The water lines, sidewalks, and streetlights all are going to have to be updated. We might as well do it right from the beginning instead of back tracking several years down the road."
Joanna Brazil, Peabody Main Street director, added, "Hiring a design and landscaping firm just makes sense. We have talked to firms that have created attractive downtown areas in Sterling, St. John, Kingman, Wellington, and Lawrence. They know what works and what doesn't."
She noted that since Peabody is a Main Street city and has National Register designation, there will be some funding options not available to other towns.
Avery summed up the committee's work so far.
"We have had some brainstorming sessions. Some very good ideas were brought up," she said. "We finally just decided to make a list of every single thing we would like to see, not only in the downtown, but at the entrances to Peabody, and down Walnut Street to the core area. It's a pretty comprehensive list."
"We'd like to see some development in Santa Fe Park, we want to look into walking trails, and we would like better information available to people about our downtown buildings," she said. "The retailers on former Highway 50 need some consideration, also. We know its not likely that we'll be able to afford to do everything, but we have a plan and a place to start. Its not just about planing trees anymore!"
