Making The Dream A Reality
After talking to our City Forester, Brian Neumeister, I knew that the tree and shrub planting was to begin on Wednesday, June 1st. Our landscape designer, Danielle Bell of Native Roots had been at the park the day before and marked where each shrub and tree was to be located to create each planting bed, Brian had had all of the utility locates marked so it was time to finally go!
When I arrived at the park I was absolutely astounded at the professional operation that I found at the Arboretum! City staff and equipment were all lined up working in tandem and the park was being transformed before my eyes.
Brian had marked where the planting beds were to be located around the marked trees and shrubs. The small backhoe would carefully scrape away the sod and get it out of the way in one of the areas, then dig the hole for what was to be planted, while other workers got the plants ready by removing steel cages or pots, measuring the hole depths and widths and carefully placing each plant. The backhoe gently pushed soil back toward the hole and the guys would finish filling it in as the backhoe moved to remove sod toward and around the next planting site in the bed. After the plants were placed, the next group of workers would back up a dump truck full of mulch to the site and start spreading it around the newly planted area and then water each plant in. This continued like an assembly line with everyone engaged and doing their part until each planting bed was completed, trees staked and everything looking beautiful, like it had always been there. It was incredible!!
After the first two days of this work, our beautiful Starin Park was transformed into an even more beautiful and welcoming space, with finished beds lining the walkway from Starin Road to the Community Building and all along Starin Road. So much time, discussion and planning had gone into overlaying Starin Park with the Arboretum At Starin Park, but THIS, this was truly what made it real for me! The actual physical manifestation of all that we had hoped for was provided by this hard working crew of city staff, to be maintained by ArbKeeper volunteers and Friends of The Arboretum for everyone to enjoy for many years to come!