The Elkhart Redevelopment Commission on July 8 authorized staff to advertise a request for quotes and bids to place planters and trees in the public right-of-way along Second Street as part of a restriping and repaving project.

Public Works staff said the planters would occupy “dead space” between the travel lane and the sidewalk to provide traffic calming, pedestrian safety and street trees. A staff member explained planters would include a water-retention component to reduce routine watering by city crews.

Commissioners voted to advertise bidding on the Second Street planters after a brief public- and commissioner-question period. The motion passed by voice vote with ayes recorded and no opposition.

A commissioner asked what a “reservoir” listed in the specifications means; a Public Works representative answered: it would be “essentially a kind of like a plastic bucket inside the planter itself, for water retention for the vegetation… It would minimize the amount of time or the number of times that, city crews would have to come by and and water the plants.”

The RFQ will solicit cost information; the commission did not award a construction contract at the July 8 meeting and directed staff to return with bid results for approval.