Original Published 21:05 May 18, 2022
By Brenda Sawatzky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Residents of Niverville are about to notice a lot more green over the coming weeks. On Saturday, May 28, 60 new trees will be planted along four streets: St. Georges, Kipling, Kirkland, and Hawthorne.
Shirley Hoult, representative for the local chapter of Communities in Bloom, says this will be the third summer in a row that Niverville has been the beneficiary of tree funding provided by TC Energy, a company that operates pipelines, storage facilities, and power generation plants in the province.
“Since 2020, through their Build Strong Community Giving Program, they have generously provided $20,000 in funding for our street tree-planting project, resulting in an additional 160 trees to Niverville’s urban canopy,” Hoult says.
Hoult first heard about the program from a local TC Energy employee who decided the community could benefit from the program.
Getting the trees planted in one day, Hoult says, takes a small army and lots of advance planning.
The operation begins ahead of time as Communities in Bloom volunteers identify the streets in need of trees, communicate with the residents of those streets, order the trees, and organize delivery locations. They also take responsibility for rounding up a mass of volunteers, many of whom are homeowners benefiting from the new trees.
Niverville’s Works and Operations department dig the holes and provide guidance to volunteers, as well as mulch and soil to fill the holes. After planting, the Niverville Fire Department follows with their tanker truck, providing a thorough watering of each tree.
“Niverville Communities in Bloom volunteers, councillor Nathan Dueck, TC Energy employees, and town employees all work together to ensure the event is a success,” Hoult says. “Residents receiving the trees volunteer their time to help plant and care for the trees [afterward].”
Niverville Communities in Bloom has a whole host of other beautification projects in store for this summer. These include the installation of a Memory Garden at the Heritage Life Personal Care home to memorialize loved ones who’ve passed on. They’ll also be adding 140 flower plugs to the butterfly garden in Hespeler Park.
Heritage signs and plaques will be going up along Main Street, in the Heritage Gardens, and at the site of the Niverville Elementary School bell. The Heritage Pavilion will see completion this year with the addition of stained-glass windows.
As well, the team will provide guidance to the town on improvements to a variety of community parks.
As in past years, they’ll be carrying on with the traditional Green Thumb and Bloomin’ Business Recognition programs throughout the summer.
This item reprinted with permission from Niverville Citizen, Niverville, Manitoba
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