TURNERS FALLS — Maintenance of the planters on Avenue A should be more consistent soon, as the Montague Selectboard has approved a $2,000 stipend for a gardener’s position.
In recent years the planters have been maintained totally by volunteer work and donations. Owen Wormser, the volunteer planter coordinator, estimated that in the five years he has been involved, local businesses have donated $2,000 to $3,000 for the planters, and volunteer work hours would number in the hundreds.
The planters were installed in the 1980s, and over the years their condition has varied, Wormser said. Now, thanks to community members’ volunteerism, they are in good condition, he said.
“We’re kind of at a crossroads,” Wormser told the Selectboard on Monday. “We’ve gotten them to a pretty good place, and we’ve been doing it all with volunteer labor.”
A paid position, he said, would ensure that maintenance would be more reliable than it can be with solely volunteer labor and donations.
The Selectboard did not require much convincing. Members noted that the planters are a strong asset to the downtown streetscape, and that the relatively small cost would likely go far and be well spent.
“I personally look at the planters as a pretty extraordinary asset to the downtown,” said Town Administrator Steve Ellis. “As we think about the present moment, and the need to maintain our curb appeal and maintain the good spirits and progress of the downtown sector, I think this would be a very good and appropriate investment.”
The gardener who is hired will regularly weed planters that are not already overseen by volunteers, Wormser said. Eventually, the gardener will also coordinate new planting and other maintenance.
Those interested in the position should email Owen Wormser at owen@localharmony.org.