Maumee: Bushes, trees, fences in $200,000 plan for Trail

1/29/2004

Lilac bushes, trees, and a 6-foot high fence will be along the Anthony Wayne Trail in Maumee this spring as part of a $200,000 beautification project.

City Council has agreed to advertise for bids for the base project - the portion on the north side of Anthony Wayne Trail from Conant Street west to Ford Street.

If a contract is approved when the bids come in, construction could get under way when the cold weather breaks, said Kirk Kern, commissioner of community development. It is estimated to cost $165,000.

The area on the south side of Anthony Wayne Trail between Gibbs and White streets will be bid later.

The estimated cost of that alternate portion is set at $48,000.

A white, “vinyl sculpted fence,” blending with the colonial architecture of the city, will be installed.

Originally, plans called for the entire stretch of the project area along the Trail to be fenced with some greenery added, but the project was redesigned.

Plans now call for 250-foot-long sections of fence to be added along each end of the project areas like book ends with greenery, including lilac bushes and ornamental grasses planted in the center, Mr. Kern explained.

In addition, a large brick planter will be placed at Conant Street and Anthony Wayne Trail to dress up a corner of the intersection near the Maumee Indoor Theater.

The theater is being renovated by the city into an entertainment venue, and the restored building is to open later this year.

Another garden planter will be featured at Ford Street and the Trail near an insurance office there, Mr. Kern said.

The fence and the plantings will enhance the corridor, and provide privacy to property owners along the Anthony Wayne Trail, he said.

“Part of the game plan is to make the area attractive in all four seasons with color in the fall, spring, and summer, and some green color holding through the winter,” Mr. Kern said.

If the council approves the alternate portion of the project, a fence will stretch along the south side of the Trail between Gibbs and White streets with some landscaping features, perhaps ornamental grasses, in front of the fence.

The expected completion date is June 30.

The city s Uptown streetscape project, under construction for nearly two decades, also is expected to be completed in June.