CHICOPEE – On the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, local leaders and members of the Parks and Recreation Department celebrated with the planting of a white oak tree near the pavilion in Rivers Park. The city also highlighted its 29th consecutive year as a United States Tree City – a distinction that is given by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Mayor John Vieau welcomed state Sen. John Velis, state Rep. Jacob Oliveira, representation from state Sen. Adam Gomez’s office, Planning Director Lee Pouliot, Parks and Recreations Superintendent Benjamin Strepka and City Arborist and Tree Warden Christopher Scott for the Sept. 16 ceremony.

In his opening address, Strepka shared that the Arbor Day celebration also marks the completion of updates to Rivers Park. Strepka said that he and Pouliot envisioned Rivers Park as a recreation destination that could benefit from upgrades when he first took over in 2018.

“Rivers Park was on the top of our list. Rivers is one of the largest and busiest parks in the city, and is integral to the surrounding neighborhood,” said Strepka. The project was funded by grants, city funds and a contribution from the Polish National Credit Union.

Much of the improvements focus on accessibility. Strepka said the city incorporated new sidewalks and walking pathways that connects the park’s feature, improved safety for the playground and athletic fields and included the addition of new features, like a community garden and a fitness area.

Strepka said the upgrade process endured some arduous roadblocks from the coronavirus pandemic, but expressed pride in the city’s ability to complete the renovations.

“We had our speed bumps along the way with this project, but never once stopped working towards our goal,” said Strepka.

As for Arbor Day, Vieau reflected on the city’s focus to enhance its tree planting efforts.

“It’s an exciting thing to see these trees planted all around … Chicopee has 6,000 public trees and hopefully many more to come in our future,” said Vieau.

Velis touted the progress of Rivers Park and the city’s forestation efforts as a positive development.

“These are the things that make a community grow, literally and figuratively,” said Velis.

Oliveira said the partnership between the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Conservation and Recreation remains critical in accomplishing the growth of new trees in Chicopee.

“It’s all part of the effort of greening our gateway cities and our urban areas, because they shouldn’t be devoid of any type of trees, they should not just be concrete, they should be included and open in space where people can exercise and enjoy the environment around them,” said Oliveira.

The mayor concluded the ceremony by recognizing the planting of a new white oak tree in Rivers Park and distributing awards to city departments for their 29th consecutive year as a Tree City. Vieau also introduced a proclamation reflecting on the 150th Arbor Day celebration.

“Whereas trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal,” said Vieau in his reading of the proclamation.

The white oak is one of 2,174 trees of its kind planted in Chicopee. Vieau expects the newly planted tree to mature in approximately 10 to 15 years.