Tampa gives main thoroughfare median makeover

By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2009

TAMPA - Medians that help curb collisions along busy KennedyBoulevard now have a rsconsul_greener look, both aesthetically andenvironmentally.

Palms, flowering shrubs and other plantings are part of a nearly$300,000 beautification of 13 medians, from the Hillsborough River westto Woodlynne Avenue.

The extensive plantings include foxtail palms, Christmas palms,Medjool date palms and pink trumpet trees, said landscape architectKarla Price of the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department.

Shrubs and ground cover include flax lily, dwarf Allamanda, IndianHawthorne, dwarf Confederate jasmine and lantana. Another shrub,sunshine mimosa, is a hardy native species that produces a purplepom-pom flower, Price said.

All the median plantings are served by low-volume irrigation,installed as part of the project paid for by the state. Drip irrigationserves the ground cover, and bubblers provide water to each tree, Pricesaid.

The irrigation system is controlled by a water-saving device, amoisture sensor. "So when we do have rain, it overrides the system anddoes shut down" irrigation, Price said.

Irrigation installation began in May. "We had a lot of undergroundstuff to do" first, Price said. The plantings, including installationof the tall trees, came next. "The bulk of their work is complete."

The $295,050 paid by the Florida Department of Transportationcovered all plantings, the irrigation system and labor, performed by acontractor, Price said. The money was provided by enhancement fundstied to the resurfacing of Kennedy Boulevard 18 months ago, when themedians were created, she said. Until now, the medians had only grass.

Additionally, the project includes improvements to the sidewalk onthe north side of Kennedy Boulevard, between North Willow Avenue andDelaware Street. As part of the Kennedy Boulevard Overlay District, thedecorative walks feature a banded brick design.

The planted medians will be maintained by Clean City, a division of the city's Neighborhood Services unit.

Two of the larger medians front the main entrance to the University of Tampa.

The median plantings blend with landscaping just inside theUniversity of Tampa entry fronting Kennedy Boulevard, said Tim Purdy,longtime grounds manager of the 100-acre campus.

"It seems to flow pretty good," Purdy said. "Most of the plantmaterial and palm trees they used on the medians are some of the sameplant materials we've been using on campus for the last few years."

The medians were not overplanted, which can quickly evolve into amessy appearance, and the selected plants are well suited for the heatthey'll endure, he said. "I think it's pretty nicely done. I guess eventhe city realizes curb appeal means a lot, and that's what we've alwaysbelieved in here at the university — first impressions," Purdy said.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 259-7124