As motorists roll through our little village, they often admire the way our main thoroughfares of Second and Oswego are lushly lined with a colorful variety of tall trees — red maples, white pines, black oaks and green firs.
So it’s about time that Liverpool joined the growing list of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Cities USA. Many of our neighboring municipalities have already earned that designation which helps them educate homeowners about proper tree care, encourages utility companies to promote planting small trees beneath power lines, encourage fire prevention, prevent soil erosion and protect wildlife habitats.
To qualify as a Tree City USA community, we must meet four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. These standards ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree-management program and that no community would be excluded because of size.
The four standards include establishing a Tree Board — either a committee or a department; passing a basic public tree-care ordinance; forming a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita (which would mean $4,694, for Liverpool); and establishing an annual Arbor Day Observance and proclamation.
This year Arbor Day falls on April 28 here in the Empire State.
Fadden Fitch appointed
So at its Jan. 30 meeting the village board of trustees created a new Tree Board. Mayor Gary White appointed trustee Christina Fadden Fitch to chair the board, which will also include DPW Superintendent Bill Asmus, and at least one other member.
Fadden Fitch has been a member of the national Arbor Day Foundation for more than a quarter century.
“For years, people have noticed the lovely trees we have in the village, she said. “Now we can begin to formalize tree-care for long-term future. It’s a great fit for the village because trees such an important resource.”
Fadden Fitch, an outspoken fiscal conservative, said the $2 per head spending requirement would be easily met. “We’re already spending that much annually on tree-trimming, hiring arborists and maintaining our trees,” she said.
Having a Tree Board and joining Tree Cities USA, Fadden Fitch said, “will enable us to have more people involved, and hopefully we’ll get started with some tree plantings.”
If you’re interested in joining the Tree Board, contact the village clerk at 315-457-3441, ext. 1; or email [email protected].
B’ville is a Tree City
Many of our neighbor communities became Tree Cities long ago. Baldwinsville, for instance, joined the program 30 years ago, North Syracuse 27 years ago, Syracuse 26 years ago, Fulton 13 years ago and Skaneateles 11 years ago.
The New York state tree is the sugar maple. Sweet!
Bebop tunes Sunday
The Liverpool Public Library Origins of Jazz Series continues at 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 19, when the Mike Dubaniewicz Quartet performs a free concert at the Carman Community Room at Liverpool Public Library.
Dubaniewicz (pronounced Do-BAN-e-wits), who earned a doctorate from Eastman School of Music, will front a foursome playing tunes from the bebop era by artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. A veteran of Maynard Ferguson’s Be Bop Nouveau Band, Dubaniewicz released his debut CD, “Drive Time,” in 2009. He currently teaches at Syracuse University and Broome Community College
On Sunday, the talented saxman will demonstrate the textures within jazz joined by bassist Tom Brigandi, pianist David Solazzo and drummer Mike Cortese.
“I’ll talk a bit about the stylistic shifting of styles from swing to bop, and the paradigm shift — but logical connection —from such players as Louis Armstrong to Dizzy Gillespie, and Lester Young to Bird [Charlie Parker],” Dubaniewicz said. “I’ll also mention the use of contrafact tunes, that is to say original compositions in bop that were based on standard chord changes, as well as tunes whose sections were in effect grafted together from two tunes.”
Co-hosted by LPL and the Liverpool Is The Place Committee, the concert series continues on March 19 when Jeff Stockham’s Jazz Horn Legacy Sextet will showcase material by jazz pioneers such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Jimmy Heath.
Judy, Judy, Judy
Our Feb. 1 column reported that hairdresser Adeline Canestrare is now running the show at the Village Barber Shop, at 329 First St., at the corner of Tulip. But former owner Judy Butler, who ran the place as Judy, Judy Judy’s Unisex Barber Shop for at least two decades, is still cutting hair there part-time.
“I’m still working in the shop on Thursdays and Sundays,” Judy emailed us. “I am glad Addy took over the shop is keeping our customers coming in. Please let them know that I’m still there and helping Addy out with whatever. Appointments are not necessary, but you can call Adeline’s Village Barber Shop at 315-457-6128.
Contact the columnist at [email protected].
