by Mickey Smith

Trees and a bus stop are among the new items soon to be erected in the Copley municipal parking lot between Portland and Pleasant Streets in Morrisville.

Along with some aesthetic changes, Morristown Town Administrator Dan Lindley said the project is including some safety upgrades including a new fire hydrant with better pressure and a reconfiguring of the parking lot to create directional traffic flow.

Lindley said the current fire hydrant in that area does not have good pressure, requiring the fire department to run a line up the hill in order to have more adequate water. The directional traffic, he explained, is designed to alleviate congestion from areas that are too tight for two-way traffic.  As part of this, Lindley said they would be converting to diagonal parking spaces.

Granite curbing has already been put in place; a concrete sidewalk is also going to be poured on the Pleasant Street end of the parking lot. Trees and lights similar to those on Copley Avenue will be added. A large planter has been built in the center of the parking lot, which will be filled with trees.

Near the Hutchins Street corner of the parking lot, across from River Arts, a new bus stop is being erected.

This project is being funded through a grant secured by the Green Mountain Transit Agency.  Lindley said they had to use the money prior to July 1, which is why the bus stop concrete was poured before the rest of the sidewalks. A post and beam style structure, that includes a bench, has been built to go on the site as well; it is just waiting for some work to be finished by the town.