Submitted Photo From left, Mike Przybycien, Dunkirk's Deputy Director of Public Works; EJ Hayes, the city’s Deputy Director of Planning & Development; Nate Morey, DEC Region 9 Forester; and Vince DeJoy, Dunkirk Director of Planning & Development.

DUNKIRK — City of Dunkirk Department of Planning & Development and Department of Public Works officials walked the entire length of Point Gratiot Park last week with state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 9 Forester

Nate Morey, to determine where the most appropriate planting sites in the park are located. They also discussed specific species to use in the 150 new trees that will be planted through a grant announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in April.

The city of Dunkirk has been awarded $66,500 from a submitted grant request in the DEC Urban Community Forestry program for the “Point Gratiot Reforestation of Tree Canopy” project. The submitted application scored the second highest in rankings from submitted applications statewide.

A final version of the site plan for the grant funded plantings is still in the approval phase. It will predominantly cover Point Gratiot Park, but will also extend to Point Drive North and Wright Park.

Once all grant contracts and documents have been approved, planting will occur in the spring of 2025.

The grant eligible expenses will include the 150 trees and all planting materials, and a portion of the labor expenses from city staff time for the preparation and planting of the trees.

The city Department of Planning & Development was also successful in an additional DEC grant recently announced by Mayor Kate Wdowiasz in July to plant 300 new trees on city streets, with an

approved award of $122,446.47 from the Community Forest Management Plan Implementation And Ash Tree Management in Disadvantaged Communities program.