By Kim Lewicki, Highlands Newspaper
For years most of Oak Street from 5th to 3rd streets resembled a back street alley. There were various kinds and sizes of trash receptacles that were frequented by crows and bears with little regard to the façade of the street.
That changed when the town got rid of the dumpsters and trash receptacles and replaced them with uniformed bear resistant containers. That simple gesture literally cleaned up the street.
Now the new owner of the old Scudder’s complex that fronts both Main and Oak streets, will be beautifying the stretch of Oak along the backside of the complex, which is a single parcel with multiple buildings.
The specific area is across from The Playhouse and the police station.
Due to the nature of the previous business – Scudder’s auction house – there is a freight lift that provides access to Main Street and two, long, loading zones and one parking space.
Now, as part of the beautification, instead of two loading zones there will be one that anyone can use, and two public parking spaces instead of one.
The current storage areas in the complex are being converted into spaces for commercial tenants, like on Main Street, and a wide apron sidewalk will stretch along the way – tying the complex together.
Various trees like Pin Oaks, American Smoketree and Princeton Elm were suggested as well as shrubs like Sunburst Saint John’s Wort, and Bearberry for ground cover to “green up” the sidewalk.
All of this is being done at the owner’s expense but since the renovations involved adding and changing parking space designations – reducing the loading zone by 50% to make room for an additional public parking spaces – the Town Board had to give permission.
The request was OK’d unanimously and initiated discussion about tying the street together visibly on the north side from the site of the new ABC Store to Town Hall.
A finalized plan will be presented to the Town Board soon.
Pictured at the top of the article is an artist’s rendition of what’s to come on Oak Street on the backside of the old Scudder’s building.