'Plastic Paradise' traffic island gets a makeover

The Plastic Paradise of Stonehaven temporarily reverted to the state that prompted it to become a neighborhood landmark before getting a facelift late last week. The median island at Thermal Avenue and Charter Road that was covered with faux flowers, yard flags and other assorted décor was once again barren soil.

“I was looking at it this morning, it’s ugly with just the dirt, it looks like a grave again,” said resident Mark Love.

Love lives diagonal from the intersection and started Plastic Paradise back in June, after vehicles kept running into the new traffic island.

But what started with Love staking up a few fake mums turned into a neighborhood creativity challenge full of all kinds of interesting artifacts.

“It was fun while it lasted,” said Love. “I’m looking forward to permanent landscaping.”

He didn’t have to wait long. The city’s landscape management department came and landscaped the median late last week and finished before the weekend.

Using the Plastic Paradise Facebook page and one final sign staked in the median, Love encouraged residents to take back what they wanted, before the City of Charlotte began planting permanent fixtures like black gum trees and crepe myrtles.

In preparation for their work, Love said he and several other residents went and cleaned off all the decorative remnants.

“We didn’t want the city to throw it all away,” he said.

There was speculation that the flowers and ornamentation would move down Thermal Avenue to the railroad crossing, but Love said it looked like he’d be the one responsible to take that initiative.

And after having worked for rail companies in the past, Love said he wasn’t keen on trespassing on private property, knowing how strict rail companies are about prosecuting.

“That was the last thing I wanted to be involved with,” he said, adding without regular upkeep the new location could turn to an eyesore.

So what became of all the leftovers?

Love said residents donated the flowers still in good shape to Charlotte’s Evergreen Cemetery.

Love said it was “a good and worthy cause.”

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