What to do now with the stump? .. the big issue
is that they'll then make a massive hole and dirt spot in my
otherwise-immaculate front yard, and that spot will be a bear to get to
look nice.

Same nice yard... dug around the stump..cut it off below grade with a
chainsaw.
After that, backfilled the hole, put plastic sheet down and sat a large
glassine type 4' high black lavarock on the stump (think IO needle) and
landscaped/ptl 2X4 frame around it 5' X5' with smaller lavarock covering the
rest of the plastic, then 'bonsai' type pine trees and a couple of Lo volt
"spots" which shined on the rock at night. Got lots of compliments on it.

R