MACHELSEA-L Archives

From: Rosie Jeffery <>
Subject: Re: [MACHELSEA] from chelsea record
Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 13:03:45 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <8e.a7a9112.2dd0526d@aol.com>

Thanks for the info

wrote:The Chelsea of a century ago is a very different city than it is today in
many ways, not the least of which is in appearance. At the turn of the century,
the city had many tree-lined streets, parks and wooded areas, whereas now it
seems that almost every inch of the citys 1.8 square miles is developed.

Back in the 1900s, the city would have been replete with elm trees, John
DePriest, the citys Director of Planning, said. Now there are only a half
dozen left, two of which are in front of city hall.

But the city is making moves to make Chelsea a greener place again. With the
help of the Chelsea Green Space and Recreation Committee, the city is making a
bid to become a Tree City USA, a designation awarded by the National Arbor
Day Foundation to cities who meet certain criteria that helps them gain initial
direction for an urban forestry program. Tree Cities receive many benefits,
including more funding to be used for forestry programs.

T.J. Hellmann, a member of Green Space who is spearheading the Tree City USA
effort, said it is important for cities to actively pursue a forestry program
because trees provide many benefits for the towns residents.

Its not just a pretty issue. Its a health issue, Hellmann said.

DePriest agreed, adding that planting more trees and diversifying the citys
current tree population is a top priority.

Trees provide shade. They provide noise reduction, they control runoff and
they provide a habitat for animals, DePriest said.

To become a Tree City, Chelsea has to first observe Arbor Day, a holiday
focusing on the importance of trees that falls at the end of April. Chelsea
observed its first Arbor Day last week with a parade involving fifth-grade students
from the Clark Ave. School. Chelsea must also create a Tree Board and this
board must draft a tree ordinance. City Councilor Roseann Bongiovanni, also a
project director at Green Space, introduced legislation at the last city council
meeting that called for these measures to be undertaken soon.

Lastly, the city must spend $2 per capita on a community forestry ordinance.
Hellmann said that given the budgetary constraints the city is currently
facing, some might think this would be an impossible goal, but it isnt.

It seems like a lot ... but you can get to that $2 per capita quicker than
you think, Hellmann said.

DePriest agreed, saying that this year, the city recently received a large
grant from the state that will allow for the planting of 60 trees, 30 on Fifth
Street and 30 on Pearl Street, and the city matched these funds. Additionally,
the city already spends a sum of money each year on tree maintenance.

The city is using the results of a citywide tree inventory that was conducted
more than five years ago to guide its tree planting decisions.

Bongiovanni said the results of this inventory were that, unsurprisingly,
Chelsea had a relatively low number of trees. Many empty tree pits, diseased
trees and badly pruned trees were found. And some species of trees such as the Ash
tree far outnumbered others.

But Bongiovanni said there were also positive results from the inventory.

We surprisingly saw some really healthy trees and some really old, historic
trees, Bongiovanni said.

And the city is hoping that the planting of new, healthy trees will further
improve the population. Hazel Davis, a Chelsea resident and Green Space member,
is involved in the Bellingham Square Connection, a project being mounted in
conjunction with the Community Forest Partnership of the Urban Ecology
Institute. Starting this month, Davis will organize community and business leaders in
an effort to replace seven street trees on Broadway and Hawthorne. Not only
will the project allow for the planting of new trees, but also for the
beautifying of the area, with students participating in art projects and businesses
working to keep the sidewalks clear of trash.

The project is really not about trees, its about people. Its about
bringing the people of Bellingham Square together, Davis said.

With all of these projects are underway, Hellmann said he is hopeful Chelsea
will be named a Tree City by the end of the year.









Chelsea,Ma.-Woburn,Ma.-denning-dennen-danin-dinan-dinihey-denningston-dinning-
carlon-carroll-dever-cogan-malone-heslin-piscopo-mazzola-martini-farrell-mchug
h-farley-grimes-lynch-doherty-SanDanto,Ita-Adargh,longford-Revere,Ma-Wintrop,M
a.-sprague- and ever growing list

Jim Denning




==== MACHELSEA Mailing List ====
Some meanings for abreviations
rs@=RESIDES AT cfdr=calculated from death record
c.r.1=church records 1st uniterian society revere cr2=church record evangelican church of revere gr1 grave record revere cemetery gr1a=grave record revere cemetery compiled by mellen chamberlain's "history of Chelsea" gr1b=grave record revere cemetery in city hall revere gr2=grave record garden cemetery gr3=grave record woodlawn cemetery gr4=grave record winthrop cemetery pr1 from sextons records kept by john tweksbury now revere library pr2=record from journal of abel bowen sr=suffolk county records

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