Sick trees, tall grass become eyesore for Langley’s Second Street

Published 2:30 pm Tuesday, August 25, 2015

One of the gleaming jewels of Langley’s redesigned Second Street has a blemish, according to City Hall.

Several business owners and residents this summer have complained that the 600-square-foot rain garden on Second Street near the Windermere office and entrance to Langley Village has become a bit of an eyesore. Three vine maple trees are struggling and close to dying, and are still planted there. With the long stretch of hot, dry weather, the grass planted in the large garden grew tall and began to lay down, looking more like a weed than regal, green grass.

“If you look at our other gardens, this one looks like a poor stepsister,” Mayor Fred McCarthy said at a recent city council meeting.

Langley’s public works already trimmed the grasses, the mayor said, drastically improving its look.

“It looks a lot better already,” McCarthy said. 

But the withering trees remain, and the city’s trying to figure out what to do next. It has the option of taking the cash value, about $320, or asking the construction company that managed Second Street’s overhaul in 2014 to replace the trees.

The issue over the garden’s look came to light after the mayor heard a complaint from a nearby business and from the Langley Main Street Association. The downtown improvement non-profit group had worked with the city on the design of several Second Street gardens, in addition to tending to a few of the city’s other gardens and hanging flower baskets, but was not involved in the rain garden.

“We see it as a failure due to a design flaw by KPG,” said Janet Ploof, Langley Main Street Association president.

About 200 of the grass-like plants, a type of rush, all thrived and grew several feet long before falling over under their own weight. That kept other plants from getting sunlight or water from an irrigation system installed by the contractors.

“The species of rush they planted wasn’t right for this area,” Ploof said.

Another, perhaps more insidious problem may be ahead. McCarthy said the irrigation system put into the rain garden was done solely by SRV Construction — and not as part of the city’s initial project plan. Since then, the system appears to have stopped working, according to the mayor.

“We have reason to believe it has failed,” McCarthy said.

The garden helps treat the storm water that runs down Second Street and meets with Brookhaven Creek, which runs under the road through a pipe system before pouring out at Seawall Park and into Saratoga Passage. In that capacity, the rain garden is functioning just fine.

“It’s kind of an issue where you’re dealing with aesthetic appeal as well as function,” McCarthy said.

Ploof said Langley Main Street Association found someone to take the rushes out, at no cost to the city, and replant them elsewhere. The association is trying to come up with a new design for rain garden-suitable plants and have vine maples replaced, but not until the fall.

“This time it will be pretty,” she said.