The healing garden project at Crescent Park is “in full swing.”

At Tuesday’s meeting of the street landscape committee, Land Architect David Sobina presented an update – and asked for some input – on the projects.

Plantings, including some trees, if the committee wants to go in that direction, could be made in the fall.

The “clover leaf” sidewalks are in place, Sobina said.

He suggested the members come up with ideas for the various spaces, but recommended they “make it so every plant doesn’t bloom in May.”

The members discussed the placement of trees at the garden, eventually concluding that trees provide shade to different areas of the garden throughout the day and making sure some spots are shady while others are sunny.

Chairman Josie Gerardi reminded city officials and Sobina that donations in the memory of long-time committee member Paul Brohn were made to pay for trees in that area.

In addition to discussing the types of vegetation the members would like to see installed, Sobina said the city is looking to place statues that were created by a local artist using local youth as models in garden.

Formerly, the statues were scattered around Warren. “The city is looking to consolidate them into the healing garden,” he said.

He presented some ideas for appropriate placements.

A statue of a soccer player would be placed in a grassy space. The girl kicking maple leaves would be placed under a deciduous tree.

The members combined decisions about vegetation and statue placement in one case, expressing interest in a pollinator space for the girl with a butterfly.

The committee is 100 years old and the members hope to hold an anniversary celebration. That event could coincide with the public presentation of the Significant Trees booklet previewed at Tuesday’s meeting and the ribbon cutting at the healing garden if the timing comes together well.

Foliage update

The committee heard a report on foliage conditions from Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Cornplanter District Forester Cecile Stelter.

She said there will be some bright colors during the typical foliage season, but many trees may turn earlier than usual.

“We’ve had some very extreme conditions, and trees don’t like extremes,” Stelter said. “A very wet summer has promoted some fungal diseases.”

City Arborist Joe Reinke agreed. “Tar spots on maples, fungus spots on oaks,” he said. “There are some oaks in the city that are pretty well leafless.”

The good news is that “trees are pretty adaptive,” Stelter said. “I would expect if we have a normal winter and normal spring, trees will leaf out.”

The 90 trees planted by city crews in the spring have shown resiliency.

“For the first time since I’ve been making the (planting) list, we didn’t lose one,” Reinke said.

There were four members in attendance at the meeting. That is enough to make decisions, but the group would welcome new additions. “We need some more members,” Paula Bogart said.

The group will present its Civic Beautification Awards at a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Art Kelsey Park in the 300 block of Liberty Street.

The group will meet next at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at the Warren Municipal Building.