Flowers are once again blooming along Mill Street Bridge in Montgomery.
There was a hiatus in the Montgomery Flower Planter Program due to the Mill Street Bridge improvement project in 2022-23, village officials said, but the flower boxes have now returned.
The program, a collaborative effort between the Montgomery Public Works Department and the volunteer-led Montgomery Beautification Committee, aims to beautify the bridge with flower planter boxes and memorial signs, according to officials.
With the bridge refurbishment, several newer spaces for flower boxes have been created, officials said.
Thanks to the recent planting work, visitors to the downtown historic area can now see the flowers as they cross the Fox River near Montgomery Park, which is the site of the annual summertime Montgomery Fest, concerts in the park and more.
The planting of flowers in the boxes along the bridge began many years ago and is now a tradition in the village.
“I arrived in 2006 and they had already been doing so for a number of years,” said Ed Plaff with the Montgomery Public Works Department.
On the morning of the planting of the flowers on the bridge recently, Montgomery Public Works crews readied the boxes with mulch and soil. As the members of the Beautification Committee gathered, complete with garden gloves and tools, they took each individual box and planted the flowers.
The flowers are watered regularly by the Public Works Department, officials said.
“We are happy to announce the return of the Montgomery Flower Planter Program to the Mill Street Bridge,” said Montgomery Public Works Department Executive Assistant Renee Mason in a press release from the village. “This initiative embodies the spirit of community and collaboration that defines our village, and we are excited to showcase once again the flowers that have become synonymous with summertime in Montgomery.”
The improvements to the bridge and also to Montgomery Park are part of efforts to bring more people to the village’s downtown, officials have said.
Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
