Citizens question dying plants on Midlothian Turnpike

Divan Ferreira waters plants in the median along Midlothian Turnpike. Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer Work is now under way on the new landscaping project meant to beautify the stretch of Midlothian Turnpike roughly between Walmart and Johnston-Willis Hospital. But there’s a problem: The beauty is already starting to fade as many of the plantings are wilting or appear to have died from the extreme heat, prompting some county residents to complain the project is a waste of money.

All is not lost, though. According to the county and local contractor, any plantings that die will be replaced at no additional cost.

“On every project, regardless of the time of the year or the extent of the project, you expect plant losses,” said Neal Beasley, horticultural specialist/landscape designer for Timmons Group. “We’ll come back in the fall and replace [those plants that die].”

Beasley’s job is to oversee the plantings and maintenance of RSG Landscaping & Lawn Care, the Lynchburg-area firm that won the contract for the project. In addition to installing the plants, RSG has a five-year maintenance agreement.

Some of the trees and plants installed in the median near Chesterfield Towne Center are now wilted or dried out due to the extreme heat. Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer “It was beautiful at first, but it’s turned into a fire hazard because the median isn’t being watered,” said county resident Cindy Kureth.

Beasley said the cost of the plantings and installation is about $300,000. Originally scheduled to be completed by the end of May, the installation was delayed because of discussions with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) regarding the medians, which VDOT controls. Some annual flowers were being planted as late as the morning of July 7. Temperatures soared that afternoon to 104 degrees.

“What we did not expect was the onslaught of record heat and dry conditions,” said Beasley.

“Some of them could be revived or may perhaps die,” acknowledged Tom Jacobson, director of the county’s revitalization efforts. “RSG is responsible and has to replace any that die.”

The installation also proceeded because the plants had already been purchased and were being stored nearby. “A common philosophy in horticulture is a plant is better off in the ground than in a container during the summer,” explained Beasley.

Surrounding business owners, who agreed to a 2-cent higher property tax rate for the next 10 years to finance the project, also urged the plantings to proceed.

That special tax district was approved unanimously last fall by the county board of supervisors. It affects 370 commercially zoned properties along and near Midlothian Turnpike, raising an estimated $130,000 annually. The plantings will beautify the median of Midlothian Turnpike from 400 feet east of Johnston-Willis Drive westward to 500 feet west of Alverser Drive. Led by the Greater Southport Association, an organization of businesses primarily in the southeast quadrant of Midlothian Turnpike and Courthouse Road, the Midlothian Initiative to Revitalize Rights of Way group was established to shepherd the proposal. Chesterfield County agreed to front the necessary funding until the extra tax revenue catches up to the implementation cost.