MONROE, Conn. — A sugar maple tree will come into bloom on the lawn behind the Wolfe’s Den Playground at Wolfe Park every spring and its leaves will produce brightly colored foliage every fall. Town officials planted the tree during an Arbor Day ceremony last Friday morning.
The tree was donated to the town by Courville Nurseries, 163 Barn Hill Road in Monroe, and some members of the Courville family attended the event.
Park maintenance dug a hole for the tree and First Selectman Terry Rooney read a proclamation at the ceremony declaring April 24 to be Arbor Day in Monroe and celebrating the fact that this is the 22nd year the town has attained Tree City USA community status.
“Welcome everybody here today to beautiful Wolfe Park,” Rooney said to the small crowd that gathered. “Every year, we plant a tree in honor of Arbor Day. I would like to thank Missy and her staff and the DPW for doing a great job in the parks this year. I would like to thank Courville Nurseries for their dedication of this beautiful sugar maple and for being here for the installation.”
Parks and Recreation Director Missy Orosz said there are requirements a municipality must meet to attain Tree City USA status and credited Park Ranger Christopher Tucci for his role in Monroe’s application.
Members of Orosz’s staff and DPW attended Friday’s event, along with Jonathan Stone, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
“It was fantastic,” Orosz said of Friday’s ceremony. “We had a Monroe nursery make the donation to the park this year. The Courville family came out. It was a team effort. It was a beautiful morning.”
Orosz said the sugar maple is located near the new Pathway Pavilion.
“It’s gonna bloom and grow,” she said. “It’s going to be a tree people will enjoy for years to come.”
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