Travelers entering Litchfield from the east soon could have a completely different perception of the city.
Litchfield City Council on Monday gave its blessing to a group that hopes to create a more attractive gateway to the city along U.S. Highway 12 East.
"Hopefully, by the end of the year, Highway 12 will look like a parkway instead of a highway," said Sherron Reilly, chairwoman of the Litchfield Community Development Committee, and a member of the beautification project committee, which was organized by long-time resident Russ Bjorhus.
The project carries an estimated price tag of $50,000. The group is applying for a federal matching grant of $25,000. Reilly said the other $25,000 would be raised by the group she represented, but "we kind of need (the City Council's) blessing to go further. We're simply asking for you to say it's OK for us to keep going forward with it."
Reilly explained that the concept, the brainchild of Bjorhus, includes plans for planting trees along the north and south sides of Highway 12 and constructing a 5-foot wide walking/biking path on the north side of the highway. The improvements would be made, Reilly said, at the same time that the Minnesota Department of Transportation performs the major upgrade of Highway 12 scheduled for this summer. Tree planting and path both have been approved in concept by MnDOT, and planting trees on the south side of the highway, near the railroad, also has preliminary approval of Burlington Northern.
The beautification project would begin where Highway 12 intersects with Sibley Avenue in downtown Litchfield and stretch to the east edge of town, approximately a mile and a half, Reilly said, who estimated that about 250 trees would be planted. The type of tree has not been chosen, Reilly said, but the goal is to plant tall trees "no shorter than 15 feet." She also said the welcome sign on the east edge of town might be upgraded to make it more noticeable to travelers.
Reilly told the council that her group would work with businesses along Highway 12 in an attempt to position the trees in the best possible way for the businesses and the beautification project.
The committee has contacted state and national representatives, including Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, Sen. Steve Dille, R-Dassel, and U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., and received positive responses from all of them, Reilly said.
If the first stages of the beautification project go well, Reilly said, her group intends to take it even further. The long-range dream would be to connect Litchfield's walking/biking path with the Dassel-Cokato path, she said.
