Old and damaged trees and shrubbery began being uprooted anddisposed of Tuesday morning on the median of Brookway Boulevard aspart of a three-week street improvement project.

Ward Four Alderwoman Shirley Estes said the project is beingcarried out by Brookhaven Beautiful, a beautification projectcommittee of the chamber of commerce, with assistance from thecity.

“The trees have been on the boulevard for years and years, andhave been damaged by winds and people running over them,” Estessaid. “It would be difficult to plant new trees around the old onesand make it look uniform throughout there. There were gaps wheretrees had died during the years – six or seven of them were alreadygone.”

Therefore, from the boulevard’s intersection with Highway 51 toits end at Monticello Street, the city street department is usingheavy equipment to dig up all the greenery. Estes said the holeswould be filled and the median returned to grass only for a shorttime before new crape myrtles and hollies are planted inapproximately three weeks.

Estes said the new trees would be paid for with private fundsfrom Brookhaven Beautiful and a small grant from the transportationdivision of the Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

“It’s part of the plan we’ve been going through for a number ofyears,” Estes said. “Wal-Mart adopted Brookhaven Beautiful, andsome of the funds they’re donating this quarter are going towardthis project. We’re going to clean up that part of the boulevardand make it look better.”

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive DirectorCliff Brumfield said the boulevard project is but one of BrookhavenBeautiful’s planned improvements.

“The committee works hard to beautify landscaping in many areasof the community – the boulevard, downtown area, landscaping aroundthe newly installed Welcome to Brookhaven sign,” he said. “It’sjust time for some of the older trees to be removed, and thecommittee has chosen a variety of new trees that will do well inour climate and be a welcome addition to the city’slandscaping.”