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There was little doubt that the new logo for the city of Millwood would include some sort of tree. In a community known for streets lined with rows of maple, oak, elm and other varieties, a municipal emblem without some form of shrubbery would be like leaving the nostalgia out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Click here to view 360 panorama of the ground breaking
At a city council meeting earlier this month, however, renderings of potential logos were greeted with lukewarm reviews by residents and city leaders despite the depiction of at least one tree in each example. The problem became evident right away – a pine or evergreen wouldn’t do. Millwood would need a deciduous tree on its city stamp.
Such is the priority on greenery here, an emphasis that will earn official recognition on April 26 when Millwood Mayor Dan Mork will dedicate the city’s arboretum in honor of longtime mayor Jeanne Batson. It was Batson who had the idea to set aside approximately two acres of land to the north of City Hall back in 1999. The space now features 28 trees in a grass-covered lane between the Inland Empire Paper Co. mill and a city park.
“It’s a nice green area where people can go for a quiet walk,” Mork said. “These trees will be here for a long time.”
A day before Millwood’s proclamation, the city of Liberty Lake will hold a tree celebration of its own, coinciding with National Arbor Day on April 25. The Liberty Lake Arboretum – Nature’s Place at Meadowwood – is set on three acres of land to the west of Country Vista Road.
The property for the arboretum was donated by the Meadwwood Homeowners Association, a group that has worked with the city to establish a plan for the space. The final design was developed by students from the Landscape Architect department at Washington State University.
“There’s been a lot of consideration for the neighbors in the area around the arboretum,” said Doug Smith, Liberty Lake community development director.
Liberty Lake has budgeted $310,000 for the arboretum to this point, Smith said, with some of the money coming through a pair of grants. Plans for the site include a historical walk along a trail that borders the arboretum to the east, a community garden and a wetland area.
“We heard from the citizens that an arboretum should be a priority,” Smith said. “It made sense to do something productive for the community.”
In 2003, Liberty Lake became recognized as a Tree City, USA through a program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation. As a Tree City, Liberty Lake pledges to set aside a minimum of $2 per capita for a community forestry program that includes environmental education, implementation of a tree care ordinance and planting trees in the community throughout the year.
Smith estimates that the city has added around 200 trees in the five years since it signed up to be a Tree City. There are nearly 70 towns and cities in the state of Washington that are part of the program, including Seattle, Spokane and Pullman. Nationwide, there are over 2,000 Tree Cities.
Earlier this month, Mork announced that Millwood had earned recognition as the state’s newest Tree City. Last November, Millwood established a Tree and Beautification Board consisting of three residents. Board member Charlie Peterson said the committee would work to make green space a continuing priority in the community.
“We have a lot of nice old trees here,” Peterson said. “Our goal is to maintain that look and work to improve other areas in town.”
Want to go?
The Arbor Day celebration in Liberty Lake will be held on Friday, April 25, beginning at 5 p.m. For more information, call Liberty Lake City Hall at 755-6700. The dedication of the Mayor Jeanne Batson Arboretum will take place in Millwood on Saturday, April 26, starting at 9 a.m. To find out more, call Millwood City Hall at 924-0960.
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By
Craig Howard
