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A Tree for Thee's initiative to plant trees at Point Gratiot and Wright Park must wait for a Common Council resolution, according to Councilwoman Nancy Nichols.
Nichols, who chairs the council Department of Public Works Committee that oversees city parks, said a resolution should be ready for the next council meeting Feb. 6.
An article in Friday's paper, submitted by A Tree For Thee founder Mary Louise McGraw, implied that the tree planting program was a done deal. Nichols contacted the OBSERVER to state that's not quite the case.
"We need a resolution to get that acknowledged by the city. She knew that but she gave the article for the paper. She does not have the authorization to do that before the city grants approval," Nichols said.
She added that a resolution to approve the program is set to be on the council's Feb. 6 agenda.
A Tree For Thee wants to replace ash trees destroyed by an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. The group has applications out already for its endeavor, which lets people purchase a tree for planting and a memorial plaque.
Applications are available at the Dunkirk Library, the Dunkirk City Clerk's Office in City Hall, and Lake Shore Savings' Fourth Street location. They are due March 15.
McGraw initially wanted all the trees at Point Gratiot. According to Friday's article, her group "is open to" planting 20 trees at Wright Park. That evidently represents a compromise with DPW Director Randy Woodbury, who welcomed her tree-planting plans but wanted them all at Wright Park, reasoning that it could be a "pilot program" as a test for new Point Gratiot trees.
DPW has taken out many of the dozens of dead ash trees at the Point but a few remain, especially noticeable next to the shoreline near the entrance.