City asks businesses for help with median maintenance

The city of Madison is asking business owners and other organizations to “adopt” and maintain 89 planting beds with perennials in medians of major streets, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The request comes as the city experiences a lack of funds and private contractors to maintain the areas. According to the plan, businesses could adopt the planting beds and hire contractors who are trained in safety techniques to maintain them with mulch, weeding, plant replacement, trimming, and more. If not adopted, most of the beds will either be mowed or string-trimmed to ground level to eliminate vision hazards. Cuts to the city’s operating budget reduced the amount for private maintenance contracts from $165,000 in 2021 to $86,422 this year.

Related story: City to convert nearly half of median plant beds to turf, concrete