New parking lot gets new trees from grant

DPW Superintendent Brent Jones with a newly planted red maple in the new parking lot. The look has added a lot to the area; three trees have been added so far and more will follow. Photo by Marsha Chartrand.

by Marsha Chartrand

For the fourth year in a row, the City of Manchester has been awarded a $3,000 grant as part of the Consumers Energy Community Street and Boulevard Tree Planting Grant Program. This funding has been used over the years in addition to already-budgeted funds for annual tree planting, removal, and maintenance to plant 15 young trees to beautify our neighborhoods.

Trees of varying species were planted throughout the city, but this year’s focus was in the downtown area … the newly built parking lot between Ockrow, Duncan, and Adrian streets received two of the largest trees.

Department of Public Works (DPW) supervisor Brent Jones said the program is an annual one through Consumers Energy and is an easy way for the city to add to the budgeted funds to plant trees throughout the community to provide shade and beauty in years to come.

“Trees that are planted under utility lines are smaller, and less likely to get entangled in power wires,” he said. “We can plant larger trees in areas where there are no utilities in the way.”

Trees were selected according to places in the downtown right-of-way where other trees had previously died or been removed, according to their growth patterns.

The city worked once again with McLennan Landscape to obtain the trees, and DPW crews planted all of the trees earlier this month.

“Thanks to Consumers Energy; we truly appreciate the ongoing support of our tree-planting program,” Jones added. “This is an easy way for the city to add to the budgeted funds to plant trees throughout the community to provide both shade and beauty in years to come.”

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.