By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

If you liked the landscaping project on Ga. Highway 54 in Fayetteville last year, you're going to love how the Ga. Highway 85 medians will look this spring, says Sherri Anderson, Main Street director.

“This is going to make a tremendous difference to that corridor coming into the city,” Anderson told City Council Monday night.

Ninety tons of hardwood mulch and five to six semi truck loads of greenery are on their way to Fayetteville for the project, said David Hollingsworth, owner of Hollingsworth Landscapes. The company will get started right away with planting about six acres of medians between Shoney's and the northern entrance to Home Depot, twice as much green space as in the Hwy. 54 phase of the project, he said.

Council unanimously approved a $94,191 contract with Hollingsworth to perform phase two of its median beautification project.

With so much more space to fill, Hollingsworth said the Hwy. 85 project, designed by C. L. Douthard of Land Innovations company, will provide room for some larger plants, and not quite as many small shrubs and flowers.

But there will be plenty of color and texture, he said.

Main Street coordinator Sallie MacGregor said taller specimens like Savannah holly, Nellie Stevens holly and youpon holly will provide year-round greenery to complement the summer color of crape myrtle. Hollingsworth said the evergreens will reach 25 or 30 feet in height when mature.

Smaller shrubs like carissa holly and Indian hawthorne, pink dwarf abelia and crimson pygmy barberry will fill in between the larger plants, and 1,750 day lilies and 2,850 liriope will provide still more color in season.

“We're very excited,” said MacGregor.

Work already has begun on soil preparation and weed control, Hollingsworth said, adding that planting the will take about three weeks.

Traffic may be temporarily disrupted, but Hollingsworth promised not to block traffic during rush hours. Temporary speed limit signs will be placed on site for the safety of the workers.

Hollingsworth was not the lowest bidder for the project, but with only $96 separating his bid from the lowest, city officials said they preferred to go with the local company. The lowest bidder was from Fortson, Ga.

“The work you did last year was outstanding,” Mayor Kenneth Steele told Hollingsworth, “and I'm looking forward to seeing it extended out 85.”