San Anselmo's medians get a makeover
The hanging baskets of San Anselmo have charmed residents and visitors alike from spring through autumn along San Anselmo Avenue for several years.
It seems, though, that the town's streetscapes are scoring high praise, too, at least from one Sleepy Hollow resident, Robert La Belle.
He emailed me recently and wondered if I had noticed what he called “a noteworthy government project of exceptional beauty.”
That's high praise coming from someone who, in the same email, says he initially didn't hold out much hope once the project got underway.
“When the previous beautiful old trees in that median were cut down, I thought any landscaping that might replace them would be pedestrian, uninteresting and unimaginative,” he says. “I was horribly wrong, but very pleasantly surprised.”
He's referring to the median upgrade project, known officially as the San Anselmo Median Master Plan. Created in 2016/2017, it was devised to address three major aging medians, all generally radiating from the heart of San Anselmo, one along Sir Francis Drake, another along Center Boulevard and the final one on Red Hill Avenue.
“In particular, the trees on the Red Hill median were all dying from Dutch elm disease, beetles and termites and needed to be removed,” says Sean Condry, San Anselmo's public works and building director.
The 1.5 million-dollar project, funded by an anonymous donor, was engineered and designed by Siegfried Engineering and managed by San Anselmo's assistant public works director Scott Schneider.
According to Condry, the multi-pronged goals were to removed the dying elm trees and replace them with a variety of trees for biodiversity.
Many native or drought-tolerant grasses and shrubs were planted throughout the medians for visual interest.
In addition, planners determined that installing better irrigation would reduce water usage and the creation of bioretention, employing rocks designed