Submitted
Lions Centennial Park was ‘spruced up’ last week, thanks to the owners of Hulk Ventures in Ponoka – Cam Rice and Doug Laing - who donated and planted six 25-foot Colorado Blue Spruce trees in the park.
“We thought the trees would provide some welcome shade during the summer for families whose children come to play on the playground and at the splash park,” says Rice.
He says the trees were also donated as a memorial for his grandfathers, Lawrence McClaflin and Ed Scovoranski, as well as for Candace Laing, the late wife of Hulk Ventures’ co-owner Doug Laing.
While December isn’t typically the season for planting trees, Rice says the mild weather has extended the tree planting season this year. “There’s no frost in the ground yet, so this was a perfect time to plant the trees,” he says, noting the trees are dormant and can be transplanted anytime until they start budding in the spring.
“We transplanted them with 9,000-pound root balls into five-foot holes. That’s a lot of dirt, so the trees won’t even know they’ve been moved until they wake up and start growing again in the spring,” explains Rice.
The trees are valued at about $1,000 each. Memorial plaques recognizing the donation will be installed over the coming year, says Wes Amendt, Director of Community Services for the Town of Ponoka. “We thank Hulk Ventures for their generous donation.
The trees are a welcome addition to the park and will greatly enhance the aesthetics and user experience of the park this summer,” says Amendt.