Town Hall is getting a proper sprucing up once again courtesy of life-long resident and local businessman Chuck Staton. Staton Landscaping, not for the first time, redesigned and replanted flowers, grass and shrubs in the front of the historic structure late last week.

The latest concept was conjured up by Staton employee, landscape architect April Barker. Barker was on-site with her five-month-old boy, Santi, in tow as she oversaw the plantings. Staton approached the town council in recent months with his idea and its approval. And the body was eager to accept his pro bono offer.

"So we wanted it to look fabulous, but we also put some native and pollinating plants in as well. And we wanted to bring back the grass so people could sit down," Staton explained of the current design.

He continued of the previous concept also done by his company, "What was here before was good, but it was due for an update. It was all totally native stuff, but we're kind of mixing to get it looking great, and we have native stuff, and fun we have fun stuff, too. And it's functional. And we want it to look good throughout the year, all season. There's a lot of seasonality."

Besides his own contributions, Staton noted the town's Conservation Commission donated daffodils to be planted next spring.

Barker said envisioned a more balanced design with shrubbery and grass and flowers working in concert during the seasons. Evergreens form what she called the "backbone" of the concept.

"I wanted to add a backbone, a foundation to the back of the plantings but then in the front I wanted to bring in some layers of heights and then different colors. So you there's something to look at each season," Barker said of her design.

She continued, "So the evergreen will have coverage all seasons. Right now, they're small, but they will fill in and kind of screen the back of the building. But we wanted to compliment it, but not hide it as well. And then you have the holly tree that will have berries and the red sprite, which are smaller ones with red berries. So that adds the fall/winter interest. And then you have the hydrangeas in front of the evergreens, which will add a flower that should flower for most of the summer season. And then we mixed in a few other shrubs that had a different flowers, a different color foliage, texture. And there's some perennials for even more color."

Staton emphasized the pollinator species included in the update, which will be appreciated by many naturists in town.

Staton has a special affinity of town hall because it's where his mother, Rachel, was employed for many years as the deputy clerk.

"I've lived here for my entire life. My mom was that was a deputy town clerk. She worked here. She loved the town hall," Staton said. "My family, for generations, we've loved the Town of Warren, and we just wanted to help make it the best it can be, make it a better place."

As well, the project included the reclaiming of bluestone, which Staton believes dates back some 200 years, as well as bricks from the town yard to be used to make a walking path on one side of the yard. It's where the sleigh is placed each year for the holiday decorations at town hall and where employees step to man the flag pole daily.

The project is also a show of respect to centerpiece of the town, to maintain it as others have done in recent years.

"Driving by, we knew ours was done years ago, but then it needed an upgrade," Staton said. "The town deserves it. Other places have done a good job of giving their's updates. And we love the town, so we the think it deserves a beautiful town hall."Taking in the project, Town Manager Brian Sullivan was appreciative of the redesign and said it was an example of what makes Warren a special place to live and work.

"It's great. You know, this doesn't happen in many communities where you have a community member that wants to make the property of the town look better," Sullivan said. "And when people look at it, they'll think of Chuck and realize the effort that he's put into it to maintain it, to make the community a better place. That's what a small community is about, really. Everybody working together and to make community a better place."