The landscaping plan for the new Unified Civic Monuments project in St. Joseph has been approved by city commissioners. At a meeting this week, they heard from Garth Woodruff of Rootbound, a landscaping design firm. He said the plan to make way for the monument is to remove two trees from the arboretum, but to replace them with four new trees, arranged in a way to make the monument more visible.
“I think it’s not only going to help this monument be able to stand out a little bit, but it will definitely open up the views of the trestle bridge and the river and some of the history that we have here,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff said there will also be an ADA ramp for better accessibility. The Unified Civic Monuments project is seeking to place monuments to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in both St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. It’s in its final fundraising stretch now, and the goal is to start work this year with the unveiling next year.
