Hartford once again is Tree City USA, commits almost $10 million to park rehabilitation - Hartford, CT

NorwalkPlus.com News - Hartford once again is Tree City USA

Mayor Pedro E. Segarra is proud to announce that Hartford has been named a “Tree City USA” for the past year, 2010. This honor was bestowed on only 19 Connecticut communities by the State Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forestry Service.

This is the 17th time the City of Hartford has earned this distinction. A banner is on display at City Hall, 550 Main Street in Downtown Hartford.

“The timing of this award could not be better. Hartford is in the midst of “Celebrating Our Parks” and beautifying our city by increasing our tree canopy is just a portion of this month-long effort. For far too long, our parks have been neglected. The work we are doing now will help protect and sustain our historic park system so that families can enjoy them for many years to come,” said Mayor Segarra.

In March, the Mayor announced that the city would commit $4.75 million this year, and $5 million next year to rehabilitate and rebuild Hartford’s parks system. This is a major step forward in implementing the initial recommendations made by the Green Ribbon Task Force.

Chris Donnelly, the Urban Forestry Coordinator with the CT DEP noted in a letter to the Mayor that the “Tree City USA” honor is “a testimony to the importance that your community places on trees and the urban forest and shows that Hartford recognizes the need to invest in this vital resource.”