Historic Downtown Bradford has been prepped for the summer.
Hanging baskets adorn Main Street and Boylston streets, and flower barrels line Main Street’s sidewalks, Veterans Square has been cleaned and landscaped, and the gazebo has been repainted.
“Downtown Bradford is looking better than ever,” said Main Street Manager Chelsea Schwab. “It is amazing to see what we can accomplish as a community when we all work towards a common goal. These flowers really brighten up our Main Street and bring joy to locals and visitors alike.”
The hanging baskets that adorn Main Street are a new design that includes a reservoir to hold water over several days. This will cut down on the manpower needed to keep the flowers healthy over the summer, she said. The baskets were purchased from proceeds from the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corp.’s annual fundraiser, and with a donation from the Downtown Bradford Business District Authority.
The flower barrels that line the sidewalks on Main Street were also made possible by the proceeds from the DBRC annual fundraiser and from a donation from Evergreen Elm. Evergreen Elm employees were also among the more than 10 volunteers who helped plant the flower barrels.
Four more flower barrels were able to be added this year, two near the Hotel Holley and two near Rookies Sports Bar, making 25 on Main Street.
Starting Tuesday volunteers from Futures Rehabilitation Inc. will donate their time every weekday to water the flower barrels on Main Street.
“We are so grateful to the individuals from Futures for volunteering their time to water our flower barrels. This group does so much good for our community,” Schwab said. “They have already done a fantastic job sweeping off the sidewalks along Boylston Street. The heavy debris left over from winter was really detracting from our beautiful street.”
Veterans Square is also looking good, she said, with newly finished trimming and mulching, a fresh coat of paint on the gazebo, clean benches and additional flowers surrounding the memorials.
The repair and repainting of the gazebo were an effort between the Blaisdell Foundation, which purchased the materials, and the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, which contributed the volunteer labor for the project. Additionally, the benches were cleaned by Ron Orris.
