Itasca wants to go from 'boring' to wow

When's the last time you were "WOW'd" as you pulled into Itasca? Village trustees would tell you it's likely been six to 10 years and that's too long.

Members of the village's beautification committee Tuesday night discussed a landscaping and spruce-up plan that they believe could "bring some excitement back" to three of the village's "boring and dull" downtown areas for about $150,000.

"This board and previous boards have spent millions and millions of dollars on infrastructure. It's useful. It's functional. It's necessary but people don't see it," Trustee Jeff Aiani said. "But in the last six to 10 years, we haven't put a lot of money into downtown."

The three areas considered for revitalization include the intersection of Walnut and Orchard streets, Usher Park and the entrance gateway signs.

Trustees consider the Walnut and Orchard intersection to be clean and nice, but they would like to get "a little more buy-in" from the business owners to dress up some of their areas. They would also like to update the train station landscaping.

"I look at the train station and it's almost at ground zero at that intersection," Aiani said. "It doesn't say 'get off the train and move to Itasca' so we need to start wowing people again."

The VFW memorial in Usher Park, declared overgrown and dark, is another area the committee members would like to focus on, hopefully in time for spring's Memorial Day festivities. They estimate a landscaping overhaul and some replaced trees, with the consent of the VFW, could return the area to a respectable condition where citizens can honor veterans.

Trustees would also like to see some consistency in the landscaping around the village's seven entryway signs.

"The signs are beautiful," Aiani said and everyone agreed. "But everything else is just boring."

Most, if not all, of the areas cited for improvement could be gussied up with the addition of hanging flower baskets, and decorative planters and the replacement of some trees.

Trustees agree work needs to be done and they'll be discussing their plan with planners in the coming weeks.

"We're asking people to invest in our downtown and we're talking about economic development and making Itasca a walkable community, Village President Gigi Gruber said. "So we need to make a commitment to invest back in the downtown and step it up."