Green thumb, anyone?
Downtown Hillsboro is almost complete.
The streets are paved, the bricks are carefully set, and the lights all topped with their glass globes.
White lines crisscross the intersection for pedestrians to walk between. The unsightly wires are gone at the intersection of Main and Grand, and now it seems like there's almost too much roominess there.
There's no doubt about it: Things look great.
But you know what? They also look a little bare.
You can especially notice the bareness on East Grand, where trees once stood in front of Emprise Bank and Mary's Mats.
With the greenery gone, downtown looks a little sparse.
But it's nothing a little plant life wouldn't fix.
How about a nice planter beside each light post? Big and wide, so that plenty of color shows when flowers are in bloom.
Or maybe take that idea and suspend it — put flowers or greenery into hanging pots. The light posts already have two little "arms" ready to have the banners slipped on them. Couldn't a hanging flower pot drape down from the bottom arm?
Both of these projects wouldn't be too expensive for the city to undertake. But if budgets were too tight, maybe local businesses or individuals could "sponsor" plants — buying one planter a piece and paying for it. Maybe even doing the watering and fertilizing themselves.
Downtown does look nice. But adding plants or flowers is what will really make it pop.
— JENNIFER WILSON
