Eye 380 beautiful project

A local group wants to beautify the landscape along Interstate 380 in the Cedar Rapids metro area.

Eye 380 Committee volunteers recently completed their first roadside bed, planting shrubs and flowers in the southwest quadrant of I-380 and Boyson Road. Now they're looking for local sponsors to help maintain the planting and hopefully others like it.

They're trying to determine if there's enough local interest to support similar beautification all along the interstate in and near Cedar Rapids.

Such a project seems a no-brainer: a low-cost, participatory way to spruce up the roadway and make our stretch of interstate more inviting.

Well-designed and maintained roadway plantings present a good impression of the area to visitors and others just passing through.

But they also add to the quality of life of the people who live and work here every day.

Angie Cole, Hiawatha Parks and Recreation director and Eye 380 member, is one who thinks the project is important.

“So many people drive that interstate or Boyson Road every day,” she said. “It's just nice to have something like that to brighten your day.”

We don't see a downside to the effort.

Eye 380 volunteers plan to pursue their goals using funds from grants and sponsorships, so cash-strapped local taxpayers need not worry about footing the bill. The plantings are safe, too - meeting state Department of Transportation requirements for hardiness and compatibility with traffic.

The number of local infrastructure projects in the works makes this the right time to think about this kind of project. And as we continue to recover from recent devastating floods, we all could use a little more beauty in our environment.

The Eye 380 pilot project was funded by a $37,000 grant from the Iowa DOT. Many of the wildflowers and grasses used in the plantings, designed with help from Kirkwood Community College horticulture students, are native species.

Local landscapers prepared and planted the beds. So far, feedback is positive, Cole said. “We've had a lot of people notice it and call and say they like it.”

A local company will maintain the plantings for the first two years to make sure they are properly established. Organizers hope local sponsors will step up to to maintain it.

They estimate the annual cost of that upkeep will be between $750 and $1,000 per site. The group wants to establish more plantings as sites are identified and sponsors commit.

It's a worthy project. We encourage residents and organizations to get involved.