Landscaping deal for Jackson roundabout nears approval

The Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization soon will have permission to install landscaping in several areas in and around the new uptown roundabout in Jackson.

The organization's director, Bob Schooley, said the "Growing Together Program," a plan to upgrade 11 concrete spaces with greenery, was its idea and has been in negotiations for more than a year.

"It goes back to when we first saw the renderings and blueprints for the roundabout plan," he said. "It's probably a year and a half ago now; we started discussing all things uptown Jackson related so that they knew where we were coming from."

The Missouri Department of Transportation's original plan was to have concrete in the center of the roundabout, which is zero-maintenance but drab.

The new arrangement will be officially adopted at the next Jackson Board of Aldermen meeting.

"There are two agreements here," Jackson public-works staff engineer Erica Bogenpohl said. "There's the Growing Together agreement between MoDOT and the city, and there's the memorandum of understanding between the city and [the organization]."

MoDOT initially was hesitant to entrust upkeep in such a way because third parties typically have a higher risk of dissolution. MoDOT can avoid that risk by partnering with the city, which then will allow the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization to take the reins on installation and upkeep.

The Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization will provide all necessary funds for landscaping and upkeep, which will be handled by Cassi Bock Landscaping and Flower Gardens.

"It's looking like an initial cost of $15,000 and an annual maintenance costs of two to three thousand dollars for landscaping," Schooley said.

Schooley said the landscaping will complement uptown Jackson as a whole. In a similar vein, the organization also helped urge the city to have MoDOT use locally sourced limestone instead of plain walls to match existing uptown buildings.

"We're really happy to have this opportunity," Schooley said. "It's just about the beautification of our district -- getting rid of as much of the concrete as possible and putting in something better."

The roundabout itself hit a slight hiccup, forcing crews to begin striping Monday night and bumping the traffic shift from Monday to Wednesday.

MoDOT resident engineer Brian Holt said during the board of aldermen meeting, however, the project as a whole is still "two to three weeks ahead of schedule."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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