Reforest Rolla program begins in spring

Mayor Bill Jenks, III

The crazy winter weather patterns continue to dismay us all living and working in the Ozark Highlands, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning for warmer, spring-like weather and the continuation of the Reforest Rolla program.

For those Rolla residents who didn’t have an opportunity to order your free tree last year, you are in luck. It’s about that time for the City’s Public Works Department to start sending in the spring order for the Reforest Rolla trees, and we want to make sure that the folks who haven’t had a chance yet to get their first tree can. This year the City will again offer nine varieties of trees, however, the Sweetbay Magnolia, Lacebark Elm and American Hophornbeam will not be available until fall. To view the trees, the Reforest Rolla brochure, and an application form to order your new tree, please visit: http://www.rollacity.org/reforest/.

Spearheaded by the City of Rolla’s Engineering Division in the Public Works Department, the Reforest Rolla program will lead to a comprehensive management plan to preserve and care for our tree resources, and will reduce the amount of storm water runoff and erosion by “recycling” rainfall through absorption and evaporation. Trees absorb rainwater that would otherwise end up in the storm sewer.

 The Reforest Rolla program will lead to the adoption of a tree management ordinance, the development of the “Reforest Rolla Commission,” the planting of approximately 100 trees per cycle/season; a city-wide tree inventory, and eventual recognition as a Tree City USA. By using funds from a Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program, the city developed a Reforest Rolla brochure (that was mailed in December 2012 to 9,200 households in the City of Rolla) to educate the citizens of Rolla on the Reforest Rolla program as well as the benefits of trees. The TRIM grant is cost-share program provided and administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forestry Council and the U.S. Forest Service. It provides financial assistance for the management, improvement or conservation of our community forests.

If you are interested in participating in the Reforest Rolla program this spring, and would like to place an order for a free tree, or learn more about the program, please contact Anne McClay at 426-6955. Free Reforest Rolla brochures are also available in the lobby of Rolla City Hall (901 N. Elm Street) and at the Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center (located at 1311 Kingshighway).

While we are on the topic of warmer weather and the coming of spring, I would like to mention that the City of Rolla Environmental Services Department has resumed the curbside collection of yard waste in brown paper biodegradable bags. Yard waste bags (containing leaves, grass clippings and small sticks) should be out to the curb by 6 a.m. on your regular trash collection day. For more information, please contact the Environmental Services office at 364-6693 or visit the City of Rolla Website at www.rollacity.org/waste.

Another popular spring-like event you need to put on your calendars is the Citywide Clean-Up which will be held on Saturday, April 6. We simply ask that items be placed to the curb by 6 a.m. Common acceptable items include furniture, beds, toys, microwaves, and televisions, boxed or bagged trash. Unacceptable items include major appliances, construction or demolition debris, loose trash, and brush/yard waste. Loose items should be placed in boxes or bags and small pieces of lumber should be bundled. We ask that you do not place your roll-out container to the curb, because during this special clean-up it will not be emptied.

Due to a 50 percent decline in materials picked up during the City of Rolla’s semi-annual Citywide Clean-Up traditionally held the first Saturday in April and October, the City’s Environmental Services Department will now offer the clean-up once a year in April. If you have any questions, please call the Environmental Services Department at 364-6693.

Have an enjoyable weekend and a safe week!