WAYNESBORO, Pa. – This “artist” was honored with the task he was given 20 years ago at Rotary Park in Waynesboro.
“It was great to have a palette this size to work with,” reflected Brian Stum on his volunteer job to plant trees at the 10-acre site at West Ninth Street and Anthony Avenue. Stum, a member of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro and owner of B&D Lawn and Landscape, was one of several speakers at a ribbon cutting ceremony April 24 to celebrate the park’s designation as an arboretum.
The observance was sponsored by the Shade Tree Commission of the Borough of Waynesboro, whose member, Austin Lally, proposed the idea to pursue accreditation through ArbNet, last year.
Stum noted that he visited a number of parks in the area before opting to plant “larger, more robust” trees that also were selected for their different foliage, shade exposure and growth rates. “It was a lot of fun,” he added.
“The requirement for a level one arboretum is 25 different species; Rotary Park has 28,” noted Tom McCloud, chairman of the commission.
Lally told the group of about 35 that he credits his wife, Samantha, for suggesting the proposal after she read about the initiative on LinkedIn. “We love to walk around the park and thought, ‘It might qualify.’” The criteria also includes holding an annual public event – the commission hosted a tree walk last fall.
Rotarian Dr. Bob Zimmerman reviewed the backstory behind the club’s decision to fund the building of the park as part of the preparation for the 2005 Rotary International’s 100th-anniversary celebration.
Jim Rock, president of the local Rotary Club when the park was constructed, said the cost of the $120,000 project would have nearly tripled had it not been for the generosity of local contractors and donations from the club. “The pavilion was built on a Saturday by members of the club,” who also helped construct the walking trails around the park, added Rock, CEO of GRC General Contractor Inc. of Zullinger, which oversaw the project.
“Arbor Day was first observed in 1872 with the planting of more than one million trees in Nebraska and has since become a national and worldwide observance,” according to a proclamation read by Dade Royer, mayor of the Borough of Waynesboro.
“The Borough of Waynesboro proudly celebrates the creation and dedication of a new arboretum at Rotary Park, which will serve as a place of education, recreation, environmental stewardship and enjoyment for residents and visitors for generations to come,” Royer continued.
The program concluded with remarks from Derek Furry, a certified master arborist with Bartlett Tree Service and a Rotarian, who encouraged guests to access the company’s ArborScope (identification) program created for the park, and distributed free trees. Lally said his hope is to place a sign at the park to follow the ArborScope link.
“All the trees in the park are now numbered thanks to the pro bono work of Derek,” making it easier for the public to report a damaged or downed tree to the borough, added McCloud.
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