The town of Tchula will hold a ribbon-cutting next week to mark the installation of a sign at the entrance to the town and celebrate landscaping additions there.
The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Last year, the Holmes County town of about 2,000 people received a $10,000 grant from the Mississippi Urban Forest Council in partnership with America in Bloom and Canadian National Railroad.
The grant allowed Tchula to plant trees and shrubbery along various stretches of U.S. 49, which runs straight through the town.
Trees and shrubbery have since been planted along Memorial Park, where there is a monument dedicated to soldiers who died in foreign wars, Mayor General Vann said.
“The project enhances the area and provides a more scenic view from Highway 49,” Vann said. “The monument area looks good. That’s the first start; we’ve got to do other stuff on 49.”
Trees will also be planted on a street island by Big Daddy’s restaurant and along the railroad line that crosses through town, Vann said.
Such projects improve a community, said Donna Yowell, executive director of the Mississippi Urban Forest Council, a statewide nonprofit that works with communities across Mississippi to support urban forests and other green places.
“The social impact of green space, trees and gardens can be particularly pronounced when public spaces are transformed into places of beauty that foster safe places for neighborhood interaction, economic and property value enhancement and improve the lives of those that live in or visit the community,” she said in a statement. “This partnership is a good example of how collaboration between private, municipal and nonprofit can accomplish improvements for all Mississippi communities.”
The Mississippi Urban Forest Council said the tree project in Tchula will be a part of the Mississippi Arboretum Trail.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
