Thoughts about pots

S23246G · Senior Member

Thoughts about pots

redd rover · Senior Member

This was printed in the Winfield paper, at the end of this article was a place for comments. Some kind soul from out of state gave us some advise. Puhlease! Will the city just hire a partime summer college student to water these flowers with a city truck so we don't have to keep putting articles like this in the paper for the nation to see? Winfield has a truck and a young person that waters their flowers every day early in the morning before traffic gets congested. I think this poor lady thinks that no one has a clue how to water these plants. We do! No one wants the responsibility. Sheesh!!!!!!

6/12/2007 1:01:00 PM

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Who will take care of the plants?
Townspeople disagree on whos responsibile for Streetscape plants

By FOSS FARRAR
Arkansas City Traveler

ARKANSAS CITY - Taking care of the plants in the new downtown Streetscape would seem like a simple affair, but it isn't, according to city officials and merchants.

Even with rain over the weekend, many of the plants are wilted, and no one is sure who is supposed to be watering the 100-plus pots of flowers on Summit St.

The city has a part-time horticulturist, but she also has lots of city flower beds under her care. One person can only do so much and there are more than 100 planters on streetscape blocks to look after.

Rosene Green, the city's horticulturist, said she tries to water the plants three times a week. But she also must look after 35 flower beds throughout town.

"The city is responsible (for the downtown plants)," Green said today. "It's my job to take care of them. There's just not enough time."

Green said she is worried the plants will die when the weather gets consistently hot, as it typically does in the summer.

"If it's 90 degrees on a weekend, those things are going to die; they'll wilt out," she said. "We're still trying to work out how we're going to get these watered and get everything done."

When the plants are totally dry, she empties a four-gallon container into the large pots downtown to keep the top couple of inches of soil moist. If they have some moisture she may use a couple of gallons to water them.

City Manager Doug Russell said today the city plans to evaluate the work load involved in taking care of the plants, and decide what needs to be done.

Russell said there was a lot of talk at the beginning of this streetscape project - before he arrived in Ark City - about who was going to take care of it. But no firm decisions were made.

Green said she has a young woman helping her this summer, but even with the helper it takes a lot of hours to water the plants. On a recent day with the extra helper, it took her 5 1/2 hours to water the plants.

The hotter it gets, the dryer the plants' soil gets and the longer it takes to water them, she added.

"Taking care of the plants is completely under-funded," said City Commissioner Mell Kuhn as he looked at plants on the corner of Summit and Central Avenue.

"They looked great when they were put in," Kuhn said. "Part of the reason they look stressed now may be the shock of being outside, not in a greenhouse."

City Commissioner Patrick McDonald said he is angry and upset when people complain about the streetscape plants.

"You're the 40th person who said the plants aren't being taken care of," McDonald said. "The city is doing their part. But not many others are - other than those who are being paid to do it."

McDonald said he has watered a potted plant outside his vacuum center and used book store at 314 S. Summit. But other merchants may not be doing their part.

Public Services Superintendent Gary Baugher said too much rain in recent days has been a problem. In some cases, the little drainage holes in the pots get plugged up and the plants are in danger of drowning.

Troy Ebert, owner of The Brown's Store, said he's seen city workers watering the plants outside his store. He said the plants at his store look "great."

He said too much rain in recent days may have caused some of the plants to drown. Some of the plants may be going through stages where they fade and then come back.

"I know that wind storm blew some of the plants' dirt across the pot and up the other side," he said.

The Streetscape project plants downtown were planted by workers from Seeders, Inc., of Wichita, a month ago.

Retired merchant Albert Clemente shrugged this morning as he looked at wilted plants in a streetscape display at Fifth Avenue and Summit Street.

"I think they look pretty," said Clemente, a drug store owner and civic leader for many years here. "We have an attraction, and since we don't have a lot of people downtown ...".

As for taking better care of the plants, Clemente said, "That way you can hire someone and they'd have a job."

Reader Comments

Posted: Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Article comment by: Linda Jones

I work at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg,Va. We water large containers, baskets and flower beds in our park with 100 gallon water tanks mounted to the bed of a cushman scooter everyday.
My recommendation is to invest in a large water tank and a vehicle (cushman) or something that can support a large water tank.
Hope this helps.

Linda Jones

Ark City Prof · Newbie

[spoiler] I agree, why doesn't the city just hire someone to take care of these plants? I see the young lady in Winfield out early in the morning taking care of their flowers and they look gorgeous. It is true this is a hind sight situation and I like the idea of having businesses "adopt a pot". However, it might just be better to pay a worker to water. With jobs being in need in this area, it should be easy to find someone who is willing to go downtown and water. Hopefully, the city commission will read all our thoughts and make the necessary changes before everything dies.

redd rover · Senior Member

I agree AC PROF, With the way we all support this college here in town financially and otherwise I would think the city would love to give a college student a chance at making some money to support the college and support themselves. They need to get with the COWLEY College to find a student in the area to do this and pay him/her a fair wage. We realize he/she won't get any benifits as they would have to keep him/her part time to prevent that, (even if I don't agree). So whata ya say City Commissioners? Time to get the pots watered!!!!! JULY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!