By Michael Prochaska
Staff Writer

Madison residents in need of some greenery to their yard are in luck. The city’s Greenspace Commission is now accepting applications for its annual Ricketts Program, which replenishes trees to city residents.
In years past, the commission has donated between 10 and 16 trees, said Chairman David Land. Applicants pay 50 percent of the total cost while the city contributes the remaining half. The trees that will be planted include understory trees, such as a dogwood, and overstory trees, such as an oak or maple. Applications will likely be notified in October with a final decision, Land said.
The commission also plans to plant about 40 trees on public property in the coming winter, Land said. The commission will meet in September to discuss proposed locations for the new trees.
Land said improvements to Washington Park, a 4-acre parcel on East Washington Street, are making progress. Included in preliminary plans are a soccer field, playground and “splash pad,” which would be similar to Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park interactive fountain, Land said. Additionally, the park could potentially house a pavilion space and onsite bathrooms.

Printed in the August 30, 2012 edition