Beautification Committee Digs In

Back in 1994 or so, when Old North Knoxville and the joy of historic neighborhood living were not even a blip in my yet-unformed old-house consciousness, members of the ONK Beautification Committee planted a couple of nice small maples between the parking lot of Glen Oak Baptist Church and Glenwood Avenue.  Over the years, as people busied themselves with other projects, these saplings quietly matured into 15-foot tall trees.  However, as documented elsewhere in this newsletter, one of these trees met an untimely death back in December when it was flattened by an errant speeding Toyota.  With my recent (unexpected) elevation to chairperson of the ONK Beautification Committee (contingent on the availability of our neighborhood plant expert for advice, ex-chairperson Dr. Susan Hamilton), I decided to take advantage of my newfound power to tackle this area as our first project for beautification.

After receiving permission from the church, Tomica Miller, Beth Booker, Ernie Roberts and I got together on March 10 to plant some small sugar maple seedlings donated by Cortese Tree Specialists, Inc. in Fourth & Gill.  Although a small beginning, I hope that within a few years ONK can enjoy the beginnings of two lovely shade trees.

There are many other places around the neighborhood that would be ideal for street tree plantings.  Generally, these spots are located away from telephone wires, do not block the view of a house, and receive plenty of sun.  If you would like the ONK Beautification Committee to plant a tree next to the sidewalk on your property, please call me (Kim Davis) at 329-9906 or email me at saveourearth@fredsgarage.net within the next 2 weeks.  Don’t forget, trees reduce air and noise pollution, provide energy-saving shade and cooling, furnish habitat for wildlife, enhance aesthetics and property values, and are an important contributor to our quality of life.

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