Photos by James Hanlon

On Earth Day, the day before Arbor Day, crews planted frontier elms along Washington Street (M-24) in downtown Oxford. The trees are part of MDOT’s M-24 project streetscape, and are designed to help absorb traffic noise and beautify the historic shopping district.
Before planting the trees, crews removed those orange barricades that were blocking off the empty tree planters in the sidewalks all winter. Hanging baskets and flower containers will go in next month, bringing more color and life to the main street.
As a separate project, the Oxford DDA hired Birmingham Sealcoat to repair the concrete steps around the gazebo in Centennial Park last week. Now the bandstand will look sharp for Concerts in the Park this summer. The DDA-sponsored series is slated to return in June.