City of Marinette adds to greenspace with help from ATC
City of Marinette Forester Todd Lapacz and several students from a Marinette High School environmental science class planted five landscape beds in the greenspace separating the Marinette High School entrance road and Community Recreation Center parking lot.
Each bed included a center tree surrounded by low-growing, pollinator-friendly plants in the school’s colors. Three beds were planted with Skyline Honey Locust trees surrounded by Russian Sage and Purple or Veronica Salvia. The two other beds were planted with an Autumn Blaze Freeman Maple tree surrounded by Karl Foerster grass and Purple Coneflower. The tree purchase was made possible by a $1,900 grant from ATC’s Community Planting Program.
“The students were excited to create landscape beds,” said Todd Lapacz, City Forester, City of Marinette. “With this grant from ATC, we’re able to diversity Marinette’s tree population, and provide shade and additional natural beauty to our community.”
Lapacz also told the students why planting the trees in that location was important. The trees will help to filter the air pollution from the cars in the parking lot and will slow down the amount of runoff into the parking lot.
ATC’s Community Planting Program enables us to encourage and support communities to plant trees and vegetation that beautify the landscape in a way that doesn’t compromise the safety and reliability of the electric transmission system. The Program provides financial support to eligible cities, villages, towns, counties and tribes in ATC’s service area for planting projects on public property, outside transmission line rights-of-way. Program funds can be used to plant trees and other tall-growing vegetation outside the transmission line rights-of-way. Since 2013, ATC has awarded approximately 240 communities and organizations with funds totaling more than $425,000.
ATC accepts applications from July 1 through Sept. 30, and award recipients are selected and notified by the end of the year. Awards range from $100 to $5,000. Additional information and program applications can be found at atc-GrowSmart.com.
