Feature Stories
The work we’re now seeing for the improvement of I-83 has been in the works for more than a decade. From the beginning, PennDOT has been supportive of the Greenbelt and working with CAGA volunteers to ensure not only will their project be successfully brought to completion, but that the concerns of CAGA will be addressed.
For example, one benefit of the project will be a new trail access point with parking under the I-83 bridge. Unfortunately, the plans for the project will also necessitate the removal of some trees in the Memorial Tree Garden along the riverfront, so that PennDOT could use that land as a staging area for their project.
As many Greenbelt users know, more than a hundred trees were planted as memorials in this area. Some of those so memorialized were folks who were involved with the development of the Greenbelt, others were people whose families thought they should be memorialized by the planting of a tree in this picturesque location.
The Association has been working with PennDOT since 2018 to mitigate the impact of the I-83 construction on the trail and the Memorial Tree Garden. PennDOT agreed to work with CAGA to minimize the amount of land they’ll require as well as the number of trees they’ll have to remove. They also agreed to preserve all the plaques associated with the memorial trees removed.
At the completion of the project, still a few years away, PennDOT will provide new native trees to replace those removed, and replace the plaques. CAGA and PennDOT are still discussing the relocation of a Greenbelt Kiosk and the shed that houses a CAGA lawn mower used to maintain the trail in that area.
Thirty years ago, when the Greenbelt trail was being developed, the idea for the Memorial Tree Garden was advanced by Norman Lacasse who played a significant role in the development of the trail. The land in that area was once the site of a steel mill and there was very little topsoil. Following some river flooding in the late 1990s, mud that had covered the lower walkway along the river was dumped in this same area. It was not an area conducive to planting and growing trees.
As a forester, Lacasse was aware of a planting method that had been used to reclaim flood plain lands. After digging a very shallow hole, a cubic yard of topsoil was deposited and trees could be planted therein.
On Earth Day in 1996, Lacasse, with staff from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a handful of volunteers, created the trail that now runs along the river. Between 1996 and 2005, 111 memorial trees were planted. Each was given an etched plastic marker with the name of who was being memorialized and the names were also listed on a kiosk near the Memorial Tree Garden.
Greenbelt Volunteer Marty Dell mowing the Memorial Garden last summer. He’s been doing the mowing there for five years.
The Memorial Tree Garden has been maintained by Greenbelt volunteers for the past 30+ years through regular mowing, trimming, mulching, tree replacement, and trash pickup. Now, the Association is facing several challenges to its stewardship of the garden.
With the passage of time, due to the poor quality of the soil, some of the trees died. Some of the plaques disappeared. Other plaques are in disrepair, and some plaques were replaced with stone markers by family members. While we have records on the names of individuals who are memorialized, we don’t have specific information for each tree. The association is working to determine the best way to move forward to develop an appropriate way to deal with this.
The I-83 reconstruction work that affects the two-acre plot of land that accommodates the trail and the Memorial Tree Garden, now leased by PennDOT, will begin this fall. Details as to how we respectfully continue to memorialize the individuals whose trees are affected during the construction, and the repositioning of the Greenbelt Kiosk and the storage shed on the site, still need to be worked out.
The Association is seeking additional volunteers to help with these challenges. If you are interested in helping, please contact Steve Decks at padecks@verizon.net.
