While people seem generally pleased that the firehouse itself is a handsome building, many people seem very anxious that the landscaping has not yet been completed. There will be a great deal of work on the long term landscaping starting in the Fall of this year.

Right now, we are in dispute with our site contractor over the state of the lawn. They have to provide an acceptable grass cover to finish out their contract with us, and if with some patience we can get that from them, it will be less expensive than breaking the contract and taking over before the grass fills in. We'll stretch the taxpayers' dollars farther if people can understand that it will take us some time to look fully landscaped. The contractor did finally mow it, and it looks a bit better from the street.

We currently are measuring and marking setbacks and formulating plans for the permanent landscaping. We have heard from a number of people wanting to help or at least know what we're going to do. Our Assistant Chief is a horticulturist and is heading up the planning effort, and will be meeting with a group of community members from groups such as the Garden Club and the Historic Review Commission to discuss what is in development, answer questions, and exchange ideas.

Most importantly, we are committed to native species and low maintenance, and hope to be able to provide ample meadow area for pollinators.

We all look forward to a finished product with a "Bedford level" aesthetic.