
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 15, 1990                   TAG: 9005150478
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HIGHLAND PARK TREES PLANTED

Roanoke's Old Southwest Neighborhood Association took advantage of Monday's nice weather to plant the last of 47 trees purchased for Highland Park.

A wave of children poured out of Highland Park School to play in the sunshine as the last tree, a dogwood, was planted in the 33-acre park. It was the culmination of a year's effort by the neighborhood association to beautify the area.

Jan Wilkins, chairman of the association's tree committee, said that in old photos the park looked like a forest. But time and weather have taken a toll on Roanoke's oldest park.

"Every time we have a storm, we lose more trees there than anyplace else," said Dan Henry of the city's Parks and Services Department. Tropical Storm Hugo alone killed two or three dozen trees in September, he added.

With $5,000 in federal community development money funneled through the Roanoke Neighborhood Partnership, the association bought slow-growing hardwoods such as white oaks, red maples, magnolias and beeches. Some were planted to replace trees lost to storms and some as a border to the park.

Henry said this effort to beautify the neighborhood was the most extensive attempted by a neighborhood association. The city will help water and maintain the new trees.

Stephanie Fowler, coordinator of the Roanoke Neighborhood Partnership, worked with Old Southwest Neighborhood Association to get the money for the project.

Other neighborhood associations interested in planting trees may call Fowler at 345-8250 or Henry at 981-2848.

by CNB