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Planned Public Square upgrades prompt tree assessment to protect arboretum status
Summary
City maintenance staff plan hardscape upgrades in Public Square that may require moving the veterans memorial and replacing planters; the Shade Tree Commission will assess which trees must be removed and where replacements can go to preserve the arboretum's species minimums.
Mount Vernon staff are exploring a multi-year redesign of Public Square that would add seating and hardscape upgrades and could move the veterans bricks; the Shade Tree Commission said it must first identify trees to retain or remove so the city can meet its arboretum species requirements.
A commission member explained the timeline: “They are planning on moving the, the memorial or the veterans, bricks, in the next year or 2. And so we need to first identify if any trees have to go and which ones and replace with non duplicate species so that we can maintain the minimum, required species for the arboretum.” Members said sidewalk work on the east and west sides is already scheduled for this year and the fountain is slated to be repainted and receive stone edging.
Commissioners and staff flagged stormwater as a principal design constraint: water running off High Street “washes everything away,” so any redesign will require integrated stormwater engineering. The commission said this makes the project a several-year effort but stressed that tree counts and replacement plans must be part of the master plan so the arboretum designation and tree species diversity are preserved.
Next steps: Commission volunteers and staff (including public-lands personnel) walked the square recently and identified potential planting spots where replacements could be located. The commission will continue coordinating with the city’s building maintenance and an architect who has offered to consult on hardscape ideas. The Shade Tree Commission requested to be involved in design conversations and to prepare a plan for any necessary tree removals and replantings in coordination with the parks department.
