BOYLE — The Village of Boyle got some green in more ways than one last week.
After receiving a $1,200 grant from Fortis Alberta for an environmental initiative, the village purchased 24 poplar trees, planting two at the school and 22 along Lakeview Park Road June 25.
“We do this because we believe in giving back to our communities that we service,” said Fortis Alberta stakeholder relations manager Dora L’Heureux, who was on hand to get her hands dirty. “And that it's important in the communities that we’re involved in and helping out with the environment and other initiatives.”
L'Heureux has been working closely with the village for the last several months on negotiating and installing the new street lights that now grace Third St., which are part of the village's beautification and street work projects that should be wrapping up this year.
She said she doesn’t attend all tree plantings, but had pledged to attend this one after working with councillors and administration on the projects.
“I did it in Clyde a few years back; we had a grant they were successful in,” she said. “I went out and helped them plant trees.”
Village of Boyle public works Supt. Paul Clyburn told L’Heureux they may purchase a couple more trees with the money and that they would all be taken care of, explaining root shock, preferable soil and more after they finished planting.
“We’ll be down here twice a day, maybe more in this heat, to water them,” Clyburn said, noting they might look worse before they acclimatize to the soil.
Other T&C communities that benefited from the same grant are the Town of Barrhead which received $2,500 and the summer villages of Island Lake, Island Lake South, Mewatha Beach, Sunset Beach and Whispering Hills which all received $1,200 grants.