Landscaping planned for strips along Highway 2

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Another section of Highway 2 will soon be dotted with trees and grassy strips.

The landscaping project from Lundstrom to King streets, coordinated by the State Road 2 Revitalization Committee, stems from a survey conducted more than a year ago that found residents wanted more green spaces and better aesthetics. The committee has also worked to remove some business signs along the highway.

The strips of landscaping will be in the area of what the city’s comprehensive plan has designated the village square. The Parks and Recreation Department broke ground in mid-March and had to dig through two layers of asphalt before irrigation pipes could be laid.

The landscaping will include grass, Kwanzan cherry trees and diagonal parking in front of Rosa’s Pizza and other businesses along the south side of the highway. The hope is that the city’s farmers’ market can take over the spot when it opens in mid-May.

The project will cost between $18,000 and $20,000, according to Chip Pili’aloha, Airway Heights’ community development director.

A work crew of prison inmates has been helping to get the job done, said J.C. Kennedy, Parks and Recreation Department director. “I think it will make a big impact right off the bat,” Kennedy said of the landscaping project. The city is installing sod, so the improvement should be immediate.

The weather has been uncooperative, however, and the project is only about half-finished. Kennedy said that it must be at least 60 degrees outside to lay concrete curbing.

It was hoped the project would be finished in time for Arbor Day, which was April 25, but Kennedy now hopes to have the job completed in a week or two. When it is finished, there will be a ceremonial tree planting at the site.

Mayor Matthew Pederson and Sunset Elementary School students involved in the Parks and Recreation Department’s Falcon’s Club will attend.

The project is similar to one the city completed near the Zip’s.

Some sod and trees were planted there, and the city has received positive feedback about that project.