Des Plaines is putting together a committee of aldermen, city officials and residents to consider downtown beautification projects and what to do with a controversial sculpture and landscape garden at Miner Street and River Road.
“The committee will take a look at the whole downtown, including the `waves,’ or `tombstones,’ as some people call (the pieces of sculpture),” said Ald. Wayne Elstner.
No deadline was set to resolve several current beautification projects, and city officials said major decisions would likely not be made until next year.
At a recent City Council meeting, residents voiced the most concerns about the Miner Street project, which was completed last year.
Des Plaines Garden Club member Betty Stone said 45 of 47 people who attended a recent club meeting voted to recommend changing the garden in some way.
Several residents said the “waves” project–stone sculpture surrounded by tall grass–was intended to evoke the area’s prairie roots but ended up more closely resembling a cemetery.
“Let’s see some color and vibrancy and a sense of celebration downtown,” said Pamela Rosinia, the city’s coordinator for Keep Des Plaines Beautiful, a local beautification commission.