Members of the City Council were joined by volunteers from the community on Monday in celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day.  A longstanding eyesore of a vacant corner lot on Bannock Street west of the Co-op building got the beginnings of a makeover, as five trees were planted along the alley side of the lot, which will soon be converted into additional downtown parking, rather than sit unused and weedy.  

The trees are Indian Summer Crabapple trees, which will not grow very tall, but will provide a bit of shade and greenery to the otherwise empty landscape.  The trees were funded by a grant through the League of Idaho Cities, and sponsored by Rocky Mountain Power.  They were purchased from Westwood Growers in Pocatello.  A watering line for the trees has been installed by the City Crew at the Co-op building, and will make watering the nearby Main Street plants somewhat easier as well.  Planter boxes will go between the trees, built by Paul Giles of Envisions Solutions Unlimited.  

LaMonte John, local architect, designed the planned parking and green space.

Following the planting of the trees, City Council President Lance Tripp spoke to the volunteers about the history and importance of Arbor Day.  While the city has many infrastructure projects underway, including the longterm Bannock Street project, it has also been one of the council’s goals to maintain continue to improve the appearance and natural spaces of the downtown area by cultivating plants and trees to increase shade and natural beauty.