Local board plants trees at entrance ways to Enid

 ENID — You may recently have noticed the trees planted along the highways going through Enid.

Those trees are part of a project by Enid Tree Board to beautify the entranceways to the city along U.S. 81 and U.S. 412. The trees have been planted in the medians of Enid’s most visible commercial corridors, said Andrie Winters, grant resource manager for the city of Enid.

The initiative began in 2008, and there have been beautification efforts on U.S. 412 and 30th, U.S. 81 near Fox Drive, in the medians along Willow and Van Buren and at Munn and Swander parks.

“The goal has been to make Enid beautiful,” Winters said. “The Tree Board is focusing on highly trafficked thoroughfares that residents and visitors will appreciate and enjoy.”

Landscaping adds to the city’s quality of life through beautification and increased property values, she said. It also boosts visitor experiences and ratings and impacts commercial success.

Tree Board Chairman Steve Glazier has led the effort, along with board members Judy Watson, Cheryl Mitchell, Richard Sabin, Tom White and Winters, as city staff liaison.

The project is planned for each year using designs by designer Lou Anella, of Oklahoma State University, and Lori Bates, a landscape design consultant. Bates designed the Van Buren median project. Grant applications for funding were written by Winters to the Department of Agriculture and Department of Transportation. Those grants require several months of time to prepare, and the city also must apply for the necessary permits and landscape agreements required by Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Planning, design, grant application, project bidding and construction typically take 10-12 months, Winters said.

This year the projects in Munn, Swander and Van Buren included a variety of plant species, including London plane trees, loblolly pine, deciduous holly and three varieties of crepe myrtle, Muskogee and Natchez along with four types of native grasses.

Tentatively, the Tree Board plans to continue plantings on Van Buren up to Purdue and possibly out west toward Walmart Supercenter on Garland, if the projects are approved by ODOT.

“The city of Enid has been recognized as a Tree City USA because of the Tree Board’s annual beautification and education efforts. Enid is unique in that it is the only place with three tree recognitions from the National Arbor Day Foundation: Tree City USA, Tree Campus USA and Tree Air Force Base USA,” Winters said.

The most recent projects cost $59,712. Of that amount, $25,396 was paid for by the city and the balance of $34,316 was funded by grants awarded to Enid and Garfield County. The Tree Board hosts an annual Arbor Day celebration, and this year it was held in conjunction with the Enid Home Show, where the Tree Board gave away trees and informational materials. Other programs the Tree Board conducts include educational programs presented by state forester Dan Stidham and Jim Mitchell of Professional Tree Care, and an annual poster contest for elementary school children.

Enid Tree Board accepted nearly $4,000 in donations at the free giveaway. Those funds will be used for future beautification projects. The Tree Board plans another giveaway in October.

City Manager Eric Benson said he is “thrilled” by the board’s efforts.

“They created a giant capability on a very sparse budget,” he said. “They have done great things and I hope we can continue to expand on it. The city supports it in the budget and will continue to do so.”