This winter will see a greener downtown.
After putting out the call for artificial Christmas trees last year, the Downtown Business Improvement Association - Downtown P.G. - was able to spend Sunday morning adding some new greenery to George Street with the help of Groundwork P.G.
Downtown P.G. received more than 100 faux trees from residents and local secondhand stores, said executive director Carla Johnston, which were upcycled into 50 hanging baskets bedecked with painted white pine cones.
"The primary day-to-day activity of Downtown Prince George is about advocacy but we also spend what budget money we have on neighbourhood beautification and events," said Johnston. The project had the added bonus of allowing the DBIA to partner with the Prince George Activator Society, which supports men making the transition between incarceration and regular society. "It's more than just a basket."
Residents of the 'Aghelh Nebun Community residential facility - located about 85 kilometres east of the city - provided the labour to dissemble the trees and construct the baskets, aided by a July workshop by noted green thumb Don Basserman.
Basserman brought the idea of the baskets made from artificial boughs to Downtown P.G. after seeing their success when he and a group of residents made them for auction at the Festival of Trees.
"They stopped wanting that there, so we were just looking for opportunities to get the idea going a little broader in the community - just to be cheerful. I was chatting with Carla one day and it seemed to be a fit for what they had in mind," Basserman said. "One of the things that was needed was a partnership - you get people who have a chance to make a contribution to their community who probably wouldn't have the chance before with the Activators, so that's kind of nice."
In addition to finding a new way to spruce up the downtown, there is a cost-savings attached to the project, Johnston said.
Between labour and supplies, each basket costs around $200 to create, said Johnston, thanks to support from Art Knapps and McInnis Lighting, compared to more than $300 for each of the fresh flower baskets - including the watering contract.
"We're going to watch them throughout the winter and see how they weather," Johnston said. "Ideally, they will stay up all year round and what we'll do instead of spending the full ticket price on a giant flower basket, we'll see if we can retrofit something smaller and less expensive within the hollow space inside that basket."
Downtown P.G. is hoping to grow the idea beyond George Street, ideally onto Third Avenue, and is issuing a call for more artificial trees.
They can be dropped off at the DBIA office at the corner of Second Avenue and Brunswick Street or those looking to unload their plastic pines can call the office at 250-614-1330 to have a volunteer pick them up.
