THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9603010219
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 173 lines
THEY FINALLY HAVE their land.
After years of formulating ideas and policies, endless meetings, a false start and searches by committees, the nonprofit Chesapeake Arboretum Inc., now has the land it has always envisioned as an ideal site for Chesapeake's first and only arboretum.
What exactly is an arboretum?
``Think of it as a cross between a botanical garden and a place for cultivating trees and shrubs for scientific purposes and study,'' said Jack Starr, a retired architect, a Master Gardener and one of the directors of Chesapeake Arboretum Inc.
``It will be a living classroom,'' said Abby Hughes, another one of the Arboretum's directors, also a Master Gardener and the person, who along with the late Wade Long, another Master Gardener, initially came up with the idea for the project.
Chesapeake's arboretum will be a place where young children, high school students, college students, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Chesapeake Master Gardeners and anyone else keenly interested in trees and greenery can plant, nurture and observe the varied flora of the city, said Dorothy M. Kowalsky, current planning coordinator for the city of Chesapeake and another one of the project's directors.
She said the site also will be used to support the idea of urban forestry and to encourage the preservation and conservation of historic, champion, rare and endangered trees.
The Chesapeake Arboretum will now be set up on about 48 acres of mature hardwood forest land on Oak Grove Road, not too far from North Battlefield Boulevard's bustling sprawl of shopping centers, businesses, fast food franchises and the Chesapeake General Hospital complex.
``Ideally, we wanted this to be close to a population center, and we think where the site is now is perfect,'' Starr said.
It will rest on land that was dedicated to the city thanks to a new zoning ordinance called cluster development adopted by Chesapeake in 1993.
According to Kowalsky, a developer may request a conditional use permit in order to develop residential subdivisions to allow him to cluster or concentrate a percentage of the units onto smaller lots. He would then dedicate the remaining natural features as a common area for the general public or for use by a homeowners association.
As it happened, two developers were building subdivisions in the Oak Grove area on property formerly owned by Carol Williamson Marks and on farmland owned by Herman Hall.
``The properties were back to back, so the dedicated land from both were joined together to give us this wonderful site,'' Kowalsky said. ``We were approached if we would be interested but we took a back seat until the city decided what to do.''
Since the idea of an arboretum was always championed by the city, it finally turned the land over to Chesapeake Arboretum Inc., in the form of a five-year lease.
``I think we'll be able to renew it over and over again unless we do something really negligent, which, of course, we won't,'' Kowalsky said. ``We anticipate a long, healthy relationship with the city.''
Before this long relationship began, the arboretum started out as an idea by Long and Hughes in 1985, the same year the Chesapeake Arbor Society was formed.
The two were at a Chesapeake Parks and Recreation public hearing for citizen input for recreational use of a closed landfill located in the Chesapeake Municipal center, not far from the Chesapeake city jail. The idea to develop an arboretum site to include gardens, paths, native trees, shrubs and plants was approved by the city's Arbor Society, headed at that time by Dr. Sam Selden.
The group decided to develop the site as a public park using grants, corporate funding and a citizen membership drive. It changed its name from the Chesapeake Arbor Society to Chesapeake Arboretum Inc., and finally earned its nonprofit status after several years of effort and paperwork.
In 1989, city council approved the plan and entered into a renewable lease with the group. The arboretum was to be developed on 12.5 acres of landfill land. The site was surveyed, trees were planted and many other horticulture and recycling programs were conducted. Master Gardeners and group members worked on developing the site.
Finally in 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency put a kibosh on the entire project.
``The EPA decided that the landfill contained hazardous materials on the site,'' Starr said. ``The city became hyper-cautious.''
``The city thought it would be good to close the site to the public,'' Hughes said.
Back to square one.
``We went through a long period of search,'' Starr said. ``We looked at all types of properties. We looked behind the public safety building, but that was wetlands property, and we looked at other sites but they were too far removed from population centers.''
Finally, land dedicated to the city from the Marks and Hall properties in Oak Grove became the Chesapeake Arboretum in October of last year.
Needless to say, the Arboretum's directors - Starr, Hughes, Kowalsky, Byron Carmeans, John King, Phil Johnson and Jean Perrenoud - were all very excited over the outcome.
``It's just fantastic, what a great opportunity for us,'' Starr said. ``It's kind of scary, all the pieces are coming together. It's all falling in place.''
``We're elated we got this property,'' Kowalsky said. ``We went from one with only about 10 or so acres to one with over 40. So it worked out that we never were able to hold on to that original site. I'm a strong believer in things happening for a reason. It certainly took a while for us to find the property and we were in fact without one for about four years.
``But the city supported us, Mr. Rein (former Chesapeake city manager James Rein) always encouraged us and vice mayor (Robert T.) Nance even had some equipment out there on the site and did some clearing for us.''
The area is complete with a retention pond to be used as a small lake, a stream running through the entire property, lots of trees and shrubs, flat lands for planting and an adjacent property across the street complete with an 18th century house the group will refurbish and convert into a combination headquarters, visitor's center and horticulture classroom.
The new arboretum site has unlimited potential, Hughes and Starr said.
``This is such a great opportunity,'' Starr said. ``There's so much potential.''
``Now when our TCC students or high school students want to study trees or botany, they can stay here in the city,'' Hughes said.
A grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry has already enabled Winn Nursery to plant 42 trees on the site. Selden has donated a fragrance garden with over a dozen different varieties of flowers, plants and other blooming flora. An herb garden is planned along with a rose garden.
The committee plans to leave much of the property alone with the exception of clearing out underbrush, blazing hiking trails, adding a few pedestrian bridges and placing identifying tags on various trees, flowers and other botanical specimens.
Those who donated money to Chesapeake Arboretum Inc. to plant dedicated trees in the honor of specific individuals will have trees planted on the new site, Kowalsky said.
``We will make good on that commitment,'' she said. ``And we will continue the Memorial Tree program on the new property.''
With all this potential, the arboretum directors are now turning to the public to help make it a reality.
``We now have the property but we need help in every way,'' Kowalsky said. ``But we do have some members that are just anxious to get in there and get their hands dirty.''
``We need gardening equipment and volunteer manpower to help maintain the property,'' Hughes said. ``We also need tools, top soil, mulch and even railroad ties.''
Starr said the property will be worked by Chesapeake Master Gardeners, Friends of the Chesapeake Arboretum, TCC horticultural students and even residents of the Sheriff's Department.
It will receive funding from major corporations and organizations, local greenhouses and nurseries will donate excess and oversized trees and the Tidewater Builders Association will donate trees and shrubs from sites cleared for development.
In addition, funds will be solicited from a citywide membership drive and from its Memorial Tree program.
The arboretum has received support and will anticipate future help from the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations, the Chesapeake Council of Garden Clubs, the Chesapeake Extension Service, Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Department, Chesapeake nurseries, Chesapeake Sheriff's Office, Virginia Department of Forestry, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Tidewater Builders Association, Tidewater Board of Realtors, Hassell & Folkes, Union Camp and Weyerhauser.
``If we get the help we need, we hope in a year we'll have something of interest for the community,'' Kowalsky said.
``This will be an oasis of greenery in a busy city,'' Hughes added. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color photo on cover, by MORT FRYMAN
ON THE COVER: Jack Starr, one of the directors of the arboretum,
walks the grounds surrounding the future headquarters.
ABOVE: A wild cherry tree adorns the yard of this 18th Century home
that will become the headquarters of the arboretum. The house will
have a rose garden.
LEFT: On the south side of Oak Grove Boulevard, a creek will have
footbridges crisscrossing it.
Map
by CNB