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 These sweet gums that were planted on East Depot Street last week were the wrong type and city officials now say that the proper foliage won't be planted until the fall. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo] |
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They are soon to be removed and won't be replaced until fall.
According to City Manager Ed Craig, D & L Associates of Nashville, the landscaping company hired to plant and maintain the foliage, installed the wrong types of trees on the square.
Craig stated that the architectual firm that designed the layout for the square, Hodgson & Douglas of Nashville, rejected eight of the trees and the landscaping company will have to return and replant them.
But those trees won't be ready until the fall, Craig said.
"We're all disappointed, here at city hall and at public works," Craig said. "We regret any inconvenience this has caused. It is really unfortunate that this happened."
Craig said that five of the sweet gums planted on East Depot Street were the wrong type and will be replaced with the proper variety.
None of the crepe myrtles were planted because it was discovered that the trees were multi-trunk and the specifications were for single trunks. Eight were supposed to be planted around the square.
Craig also said that six zelkovas were "not up to nursery standards" and were rejected by Hodgson & Douglas.
"It is unlikely they will get the proper trees until the fall," Craig explained.
Public Works Director Mark Clanton said when the dirt dries up in the holes on the sidewalk, his department will be filling them up until the new trees arrive.
The cost to the city for the design of the square from Hodgson & Douglas was $23,653.20. D & L Associates was paid $12,205 for its landscaping work. Craig said that D & L will absorb the costs of the new trees.
Thanks to everyone who had a part in getting these trees. It is pathetic to read how cheap some people are. There is nothing wrong with spending a little money to make our town a little more pleasant. I do strongly agree that a local company should have been used. Plant trees to improve downtown and improve commerce and then outsource the job to a firm from another town. Doesn't add up at all.
Thanks John Carney this is what should be printed in the paper so everybody can see where their had earned tax money goes.
Still dont understand why we pay all these exspensive consultant fees, they are more exspensive than usally the work that needs to be done. If you look at every school that has been built they all pay some firm to design the school, at thousands of our wasted dollars. Why not use one design for them all?
$35,858.20 for 29 trees. That's $1236.49 per tree. Wow.
We must be running out of things to print in the paper...So we print a story about wrong trees....I can not believe they are putting out that much money...Now those are some real MONEY TREES.....As bad as things are today.I just can not believe they are spending that much money on trees...I wonder if they feel kinda silly now ???..I am sure that come Halloween they will be putting lights on all the trees...Then that will be more money...
What did this landscape company do? I would have sworn I saw the city Public Works department digging up the old trees in front of Regions Bank.
Is this tree decoration for the horse show visitors? Like everything else around here is?
What about us that live here? Yeah it may look nice but during a budget crunch did we need this?
And what about that shop local thing somebody said? A local company would have gotten it right the first time for alot cheaper.
And we need these why? Can't have decent soccer fields, but we have trees around an area that most of us could care less about. It's just a cost we don't need.I admit, it will look good, but with the cost of things today are we really concerned about trees?
I go to church with several teachers paying for school supplies out of their own pockets but thank God have trees!! I wasn't sure Shelbyville's square would survive. What a sad state our city is in. I'm embarrassed.
The cost to the city for the design of the square from Hodgson & Douglas was $23,653.20. D & L Associates was paid $12,205 for its landscaping work.
Lets do the math, so we the tax payers paid $35,858.20 for how many trees. So how many city council members would spend this much of their own money for trees? You can go to the Nashville Flea Market ever third weekend and by a trailer load of trees for the rest of the year. What was to design you dig up the old ones and plant new ones. People are put in managment postions to make decisions and not to hire firms to make them for them. " It's trees people its not rocket science", if you choose them wrong dig them up and try again but dont pay $23,000 for someone to tell you what to plant.
What a complete bunch of idiots, the wrong type of trees and can't get the correct Crepe Myrtles of all things!
That's a lot of money for trees. I have several that I want removed from my yard. The city can have them for FREE!! Maybe then, they can put that money to GOOD use. This is just another long drawn out process for the people of Bedford County to have to deal with until the big wigs of the county get it together and do something right the first time!
We are told to shop at home. Are Hodgson & Douglas and D & L Associates home companies? We have home-town landscapers that can plant trees and use good design ideas. The design money was a waist, there is no way this expense can be logical. This money could have been spent on important needs of the town.
Let's try to measure twice and cut once from here on out,O.K?
The trees are meant to provide beauty,shelter and improve air quality.
(As few as 1.5 trees per acre could cut children's asthma risk by roughly 30% - even allowing for pollen.)
They were never meant to be a continuous problem.
Our-powers-that-be have a lot more sense than these fiascos would lead one to believe.
Let's get this right once and for all and not let any other public projects turn into a series of *preventable* misadventures.
I have never in my life known so much attention was needed for trees. Let's cover some real news...
I don't understand why we need trees on the square.
Won't the birds nest and rest in them and them we'll be complaining about their poop on the sidewalk under the trees?
What a complete and foolish waste of money.