By Avice Meehan

The newly renamed City Meadow Committee is working on a comprehensive planting and maintenance plan for town-owned property. Co-chairs George Cronin and Libby Borden have shared a two-year plan from Meadowscapes, which has overseen the work, that clearly separates the two activities. These were discussed at the December and January meetings.

The current town budget includes $40,000 for maintaining City Meadow—an appropriation that drew considerable fire from a group of residents at the annual town meeting. The committee expects to request about half that amount going forward and has already begun discussing the budget with First Selectman Henry Tirrell.

The draft proposal from Meadowscapes includes $92,640 for new plantings in 2026, with a particular focus on the eastern slope of the property. The detailed planting plan will soon be posted on the town website in the resources section for the City Meadow Committee. Maintenance costs, which would cover weed whacking and removal of ash trees, would be roughly $21,000. The committee also has approximately $70,000 in private donations to cover some of the planting costs. Management of invasive plants such as phragmites, cattails and autumn olive would be managed by Native Habitat Restoration and cost about $13,000. The Stockbridge-based company began treating invasives with herbicides in 2024 and has expanded that effort to include multiflora rose, purple loosestrife, mugwort and buckthorn.