Washington’s Historic Preservation Commission, during its meeting Tuesday, unanimously endorsed a proposal to place hanging baskets on Main Street.

Harold Robinson, executive director of the Washington Harbor District Alliance, explained the proposal to the commission. “I want to make sure before I go back before the City Council that I’ve dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s,” he said, referring to a previous appearance before the council to discuss the issue.

City officials are evaluating the proposal. At the suggestion of council member William Pitt, the city is developing a memorandum of understanding with the woman who wants to donate the hanging baskets. The memorandum would spell out in detail the responsibilities of the city and the woman so both parties know what is expected of them.

The woman, not identified by Robinson, would pay for the hanging baskets and brackets to place them on 12 city-owned poles. Robinson said watering the plants would be the city’s only responsibility under the terms of the offer. Robinson told the commission that the woman is willing to make sure the hanging baskets are “manicured once a month.”

Before moving forward with the proposal, Robinson said, he wanted to get the commission’s approval.

Commission member William Kenner asked what type of material would be used to make the hanging baskets. Robinson said they would be made of wood or wicker.

At the June 27 council meeting, City Manager Bobby Roberson said the city likely would have to buy equipment to water the plants, he said. “My experience has been, when I was a consultant to Kinston, they started out at 6 o’clock in the morning and finished up about 8 (a.m.). … There’s a special device you have to order to actually go up — you can’t water those plants off a ladder. You’ve got to have a mechanism that goes up and comes down,” Roberson said then. “You can do it. We’ll need a golf cart and a water set-up in the back in order to do that.”

Council members also expressed concerns about the city being liable if a hanging basket fell on a passerby or a vehicle.