by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
On Monday, eight trees were planted at the Jaycee Complex, thanks to the generous donations of the Senior Citizens Club of Garretson and Roxann and Mark Westover.
Several ash trees were removed this past summer in order to prevent destruction by the Emerald Ash Borer. While it has not been found in Garretson yet, the City has been working closely with the SD Forestry Dept to ensure no ash trees on City-owned property become a hazard. Once the beetle is found in an ash, the tree usually falls over within five years. Being pro-active saves taxpayers’ money, as tree removal is cheaper in areas where the beetle has not yet been found. Tree replacement was determined to be more economically viable than treatment.
The trees, which were acquired from Earthscapes, were 1.25-1.75” trunk width, and two were 2” trunk width. Earthscapes gave a generous discount, and worked closely with the City to ensure the likelihood of future disease would be reduced, as well as choosing varieties that would thrive in their new locations. The types of new trees include Lindens, hybrid elms, maple, and a Ginkgo Magyar.
The trees were planted along the new sidewalk, which was laid this summer by Crete Pros. This will help replace some of the shade that was lost when the ash trees were removed.
Crete Pros also laid new cement pads underneath the bleachers, the concession stand and picnic shelter were painted, and the playground received new surfacing this past summer, all of which provided some nice upgrades to the complex. The Garretson Parks Advisory Committee (GPAC) states it intends to do some further landscaping in front of the concession stand by next summer, and the City is intending to connect the sidewalk to Dows soon. GPAC is also looking to make other improvements to the Jaycee Complex as funds become available, but states it is not ready to release those plans yet.
