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Budget funds hanging baskets

Main Street’s hanging flower baskets are back in the budget, and nobody’s really said a thing.

Main Street’s hanging flower baskets are back in the budget, and nobody’s really said a thing.

The lack of interest in the baskets has been a little disappointing, said Mayor Bev Buckway in an interview last week.

“Hanging baskets are back in there and we haven’t had anybody say that’s been a good thing,” she said.

“It’s so interesting to me that that was the biggest bone of contention in the budget last year.”

During last year’s budget debate several people came forward to lobby members of the city after discovering the baskets had been cut from the parks department budget.

The parks department cut the basket program, which cost about $6,000 in maintenance and $1,200 in flowers, as part of a $120,000 austerity move.

Lorne Metropolit, the owner of Yukon Gardens, lobbied council to save the basket program.

He also donated the flowers for the program.

Local resident June Hampton rounded up donations with the help of Main Street business owner Chris Sorg and resurrected the fallen baskets.

This year’s budget contains $6,000 for basket maintenance, but discussions on where the money for the flowers is coming from has yet to be determined, said parks department manager Linda Rapp.

Hampton and Metropolit did not want to comment on this year’s basket budget.