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09/27/2017 08:38 AMThe center median in downtown Madison was a point of pride and some criticism when it was first built, but now some are calling it a safety hazard. At a recent Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, board members pointed out that due to the size and shape of certain plants, drivers are now unable to see pedestrians standing on the median.
The median divides the Post Road in the center of town and was a part of Phase I of the Downtown Center Project. Phase I, which began in fall 2015, included renovations of the sidewalks and the center median. Additionally, new light poles, tree grates, and bike racks were installed above new underground utilities and irrigation.
The median was widened and now includes a series of plantings. First Selectman Tom Banisch previously said in August 2016 that the town used a landscape architect Milone & MacBroom Inc., for all of the project plantings and the plantings were under a one–year warranty.
When the plantings were originally put in, the choices and quantity raised some eyebrows. At the time, Garden Club of Madison President Barbara Rosenblum said the specific plantings would require a lot of upkeep.
“Most of those plantings need pruning or cutting and constant supervision,” she said. “They will figure it out, but I am just surprised that there are so many because some of them are crowded as well. They have spirea that is very closely planted and that is not good for the individual plants.”
At the Sept. 11 BOS meeting, Selectman Bob Hale said the plantings, which have grown in size, are now a danger.
“If you drive downtown, the plantings in the median are now so large that you can’t see people who are standing in the center divider,” he said. “The area is a refuge and you can’t see people standing there...I think we should trim those back or change the plantings because that is too large.”
Selectman Scott Murphy said he had a similar concern because it is particularly difficult to see children on the median.
Banisch said the town is working to address this issue.
“The contractor who is maintaining that median this summer is going to look at removing some of those plantings because they are growing,” he said. “They may not be the right plants…Supposedly when we contracted for this, the plants were only going to grow 30 or so inches and they have grown higher and wider out.”
Banisch said the town won’t waste the plants pulled from the median and will instead find another location for them in town.