A festive look for Broadway

Those planters everyone has been talking about have been transformed for the winter season, creating a warm and welcoming feel to Coal City’s main street. In the dark of night, Donna Ragain began the transformation from fall to winter as she and her trailer full of evergreens made its way down South Broadway filling the planters—tall and small—with fragrant greens and festive fillers. Ragain, owner of Garden Creations, was selected by the village to oversee the seasonal plantings of the new decorative planters that line the east and west sides of South Broadway—all 50-plus of them. Village Administrator Matt Fritz informed the Village Board last week that public works supervisor Darrell Olson has been talking with Ragain about a regular planting program based on the four seasons of the year. With a winter theme in place, trustees approved the winter plan at a cost of $6,225. Trustee Dave Spesia, who oversees the town’s Streets and Alleys Committee, questioned what was included in the price. To which Fritz replied, 19 live trees, 15 bundles of magnolia leaves, 10 bundles of river birch, 10 bundles of dogwood branches, 21 spruce tops, 50 bundles of mixed greens and 58 rings of mixed greens. “That almost sounds like a Christmas song in itself,” Spesia replied. In addition to all of that, Ragain added in boxwood branches, some additional mixed greens to fill out each of the pots and even purchased some solar lights that have been added to a few of the planters. Before filling the planters with evergreens, Ragain removed the fall flowers, prepped the soil and planted bulbs that will pop through the soil in the spring. The evergreens are slated to be in place through the winter season, and the individual trees that have been included in the design are ones that can be removed and replanted for future use. Moving forward, Ragain and her landscaping team will work with the town’s public works supervisor and employees to maintain the planters through each season of the year. The winter design has generated a number of positive comments from community members. Ragain said she is grateful for being selected to be a part of the beautification the project for her community. Public works employees did their part of the holiday decorating over the past couple of weeks also, putting up lights, garlands and the town tree in Campbell Memorial Park. The town’s lighted decorations were also mounted on light poles along Division Street and on South Broadway south of the Burlington Northern Railroad crossing.