FARMINGTON – Six, new reinforced-concrete planters, each with a tree, appeared curbside this week in the downtown area.

But some town residents wonder if the planters will do more harm than good. While the trees may add ambience to the downtown, the fear is that the planters will interfere with right-hand turns and traffic.

“They’re real beautiful, but what I’m concerned about is whether or not people are going to run into them,” said Jandrea Warren, 22, of Farmington.

The planters were installed Wednesday morning; Japanese lilac trees were planted early Thursday morning.

The planters are 5-feet square and 3-feet tall. They’ve been placed in striped, no-parking zones on the corners of Broadway and Main Street. Each planter is filled with crushed stone for drainage, plus 3 cubic yards of loam.

The trees are expected to reach a height of 25 feet; once the lilacs blossom, residents can expect ivory silk buds on each corner.

Selectmen voted to accept the proposal for the planters last August. An $8,000 grant helped buy the granite gray planters, each costing $1,000. The remaining money was set aside for purchase of the trees and upkeep.

Public Works Superintendent Mitch Boulette said that the planters shouldn’t create too many problems, but agrees they might get in the way of snow removal.

“If they become too bothersome, we can just pick them up with a forklift,” Boulette said.

Boulette also said that automobiles shouldn’t be in the areas where the planters are located in the first place.

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