Oxford Township’s Parks and Recreation Department is planning to trade one form of green for another.
Thanks to a generous $2,000 donation from ITC Transmission, the department will purchase approximately 20 or so trees for its new tree nursery located at Seymour Lake Township Park.
‘It’s just a nice gift and an opportunity to replace some trees around the community,? said Parks/Rec. Director Ron Davis. ‘We’ll take that money and buy as many trees as we can, put them in the nursery, and then put them in the community when and where they are needed.?
The Novi-based electric transmission company recently donated the money to the township as a way of being ‘a good corporate citizen.?
‘These funds can be used for plantings in common spaces, neighborhood parks, stump grinding and/or compatible species plantings in residential areas,? wrote Cynthia Stump, area manager for ITC Holdings? Local Government and Community Affairs.
ITC Transmission owns, operates and maintains approximately 2,800 circuit miles of overhead and underground transmission lines, plus 169 stations and substations in southeast Michigan, serving a population of 5.1 million. The company has one electric transmission corridor running through Oxford.
‘We really appreciate this money,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘It’s always nice when companies like this give back to the community. It’s especially nice when (economic) times aren’t great, like now.?
The parks department started its tree nursery back in the spring.
‘We’ve probably got about 30 (trees), maybe a little more than that,? Davis said. ‘There’s a variety. We’ve got crabtrees, we’ve got maples, we’ve got oaks, we’ve got pines.?
Folks are encouraged to donate money or trees to help expand the nursery’s stock.
‘If people have trees that are too big for their yards, instead of cutting them down, if they call us and we can move them, we’ll take the trees and they get a tax write-off,? Davis said. ‘We just had a resident donate three or four nice Norway pines and we actually planted those in the park.?
Eventually, the nursery trees will be transplanted to parks, the township hall, along safety paths and elsewhere.