Thanks to vandals, fewer flowers on the bridge

Mums and other fall plants grace the flower beds and planters throughout downtown Geneva.

Except for the boxes on the railings of the State Street bridge. The Geneva Beautification Committee has given up on trying to make that area look nice, disheartened by repeated vandalism this summer.

"It's a shame, and I really encourage anybody from the community to keep an eye on the bridge, and call the police department" if they notice suspicious activity, Ald. Dorothy Flanagan said. She is co-leader of the commission, which fills about 50 spots spring, summer and fall with plants and flowers.

She said the boxes on the bridge railings were vandalized three times this year. In one case, vandals threw the box liners and flowers into the Fox River. The liners have since been chained down, but vandals still managed to destroy the flowers.

"It's ridiculous," Flanagan told the Geneva City Council this week.

The cost of the plants varies with the season. For the summer, a local business donated the labor to plant the boxes, and replacement flowers after the first incident, to the tune of about $700. The fall flowers alone would have cost about $300, she said.

The money for the project comes from donations, a spaghetti dinner and the sale of firewood, not taxes. To make a donation, mail a check to the committee in care of Geneva City Hall, 22 S. First St., Geneva, 60134.

The bridge will still have flowers in baskets hanging from light poles, in the spring and summer.