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Pike and Parks Team Up for Tree Planting
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Volunteers and Pike Township firefighters came out to assist Indy Parks
with planting trees and shrubs along Reed Road.
Photo by Linda Karn |
(posted 5.31.09)
Indy Parks, Pike Township neighborhood associations, City County Councilor
Janice McHenry and the Pike Soccer Club joined together on May 30 to complete
their plan to enhance the Mary & John Geisse Soccer Complex by planting
over a hundred shrubs and trees along Reed Road.
The landscaping will serve as buffer between the neighborhoods, soccer
fields and Eagle Creek trail users. Don Colvin, Deputy Director of Indy
Parks, said Indy Parks was able to keep the cost to $3,000 by using volunteers
and in-house mulch the department derives from recycling trees it removes
from parks in the course of normal maintenance.
Trees like Arrowwood and Juneberry were part of the mix. There were several
factors considered for tree and shrub selection, primarily the ability
to withstand wet conditions in a swale location. Colvin said the Juneberries
will attract wildlife and offer pink leaves in the fall. Tree height was
a factor with power lines overhead. "The right tree at the right location,"
he said.
McHenry said the neighborhood residents are taking on the responsibility
for watering. The Pike Township Fire Department assisted with the initial
watering.
Tom Geisse of Pike Youth Soccer called neighbors coming together in support
of the initiative "fabulous." "Who doesn't like to plant
a tree," he said. Residents from The Trees, Trees II, and Ballinshire
Estates neighborhoods participated in the plantings.
Last year, residents were at odds with the soccer club and Indy Parks for its intention to expand the use
of the soccer field by proposing to build a wellness center. Indy Parks
withdrew the plan after neighborhood groups remonstrated against the plan.
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