June 8, 2018
LOUISA, KY – Office of the Mayor – If you have traveled through downtown these past few weeks, you were likely to have noticed some changes going on along Main Cross St., from the Courthouse to City Hall.
The City has been working to remove the overgrown Bradford Pear trees that once lined the street and replace them with more sidewalk friendly Ivory Silk Lilac Trees (full grown example pictured).
The Bradford Pear trees were planted several years ago, and had grown to a point that they were cracking and lifting the sidewalks with their root systems, creating a very significant tripping hazard downtown. Some areas had lifted cracks of nearly 4 inches.
The new Lilac trees have a smaller root structure and wont crack the new sidewalks.
The City realizes this has been inconvenient for the businesses and patrons on this street, however, it was a necessary project to eliminate the significant risk posed to the citizens that utilized the sidewalks in this area and is also part of Louisa’s city wide infrastructure revitalization effort.
Mayor Harold Slone has spent the last several months planning this project to minimize cost and inconvenience to citizens. City workers were utilized to remove the old trees and concrete rather than contracting it out. Saving the nearly $500 per tree that it would have cost for removal by an outside contractor. And is seeking Grand Funding from Kentucky League of Cities to offset the cost of the new decorative stamped concrete.
The Mayor and the City would like to thank the Louisa Rotary Club and its members who donated their time to plant the new trees and for the Grant from Rotary International in the amount of $2,250 to pay for the new trees.
