City Newspaper Archives - 1/2008
ENVIRONMENT: Butterflies, interrupted
Published by Christine Carrie Fien on Jan 02, 2008
"It was beautiful," says Curry, who is president of the Task Force.
The Dunkin' gardens were planted over two years and involved landscape designers, a grant, donations, and the guidance of the Strong National Museum of Play.
But when the Monroe Dunkin' Donuts franchise changed hands, the new owner pulled out the plants.
"Oh, my God, people went crazy!" Curry says. "They put so much work into it."
Henry McCartney, who has been legislative aide to City Councilmember Lois Giess, says there were 93 plants in the second garden.
A Dunkin' Donuts representative says the new owner didn't know how important the gardens were to the neighborhood. The gardens have been replaced with some new plants and mulch.
McCartney says it's a symptom of a larger problem - lack of investment in home communities by national chains.
"To be good neighbors, these national brands ought to participate, try to understand the community," he says. "We see no evidence of it from any of the national brands on Monroe Avenue."
The Task Force wants the gardens brought back or for the chain to reimburse the group for the grant money it spent. The city is looking into whether the new owner's actions breach the store's site plan.
Article Photos
Anita Misra and the Monroe Village Task Force worked for two years planting gardens at the Dunkin' Donuts at Monroe and Alexander. Photo by Joe Bell.
