From the Mayor’s Office: A Town of Trees

From the Mayor’s Office – May 1, 2023

A Town of Trees

After a week of rain, today’s sunny skies are a welcome relief. The Village, Town, and Warwick Valley Gardeners all celebrated Arbor Day this past Friday and Saturday.

The Town’s celebration included the beginning of an arboretum called The Transformation Trails which is on the site of the former prison grounds at Wickham Woodlands. This is a partnership between the  Town’s Shade Tree Commission and Sculptor Amy Lewis Sweetman who designed the trail, it is a wonderful addition to what is becoming a remarkable park.

The Villages ceremony was at the Roger Metzger Arboretum at Stanley Deming Park. The event included the first-grade students from Park Avenue School who were so knowledgeable about the significance of trees, a poem read by Mary Berrigan from the Warwick Valley Gardeners, and saplings for the children from Wadeson’s Home Center.

The Arboretum at Stanley Deming includes a sculpture garden designed by Amy Lewis  Sweetman and is dedicated to the men and women we lost on 9/11. Last October some 30 volunteers helped plant 2,000 all-white daffodils and narcissi surrounding the reflecting pool. They are now gloriously in bloom. The dwarf crab apples have just begun to flower as well. The garden aspect of the Memorial is enriching the sense of beauty and solemnity.

The Warwick Valley Gardeners celebrated Arbor Day at Mountain Lake Park. With the help of the Middle School Chorus, a poem, and some reflective words, a weeping cherry tree was dedicated to Supervisor Michael Sweeton for his service. A fitting home for a tree in his honor as it was his administration that made the park a reality.

Trees were planted all over our Valley and Spring has unfolded with a magnificence as I’ve never seen. A tree planted is a legacy that gives joy and meaning to the present and the future. Planting is a conversation with the earth, a dedication to a better environment, and a more beautiful Warwick.

The next Village Board meeting will take place on Monday, May 1, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street.