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captions, page 5:
Brought their own compost
Paul Larson of Sprucedale Gardens plants a Japanese Stewartia. Linda Lemmon photo.
Putnam Public Library sideyard.
Play scape schematic
Changes
coming on
the outside
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — At the Municipal Complex, keep your eyes outside. Transformations on both sides of the building are in the offing.
In the complex’s “front yard” 18 trees are joining the trees already planted by the building contractor. The area is open space.
Paul Larson of Sprucedale Gardens in Woodstock said his wife Joyce Larson did the plans for the addition of trees. The area closest to the flag poles was kept somewhat open for things like flying disk tossing, etc. Taking into consideration the amount of sun and the need for trees that are fairly self-sufficient, Sprucedale and Sunset Nurseries split the 18 in half.
Sprucedale planted:
Two sourwood which have white flowers and in the fall, bright red leaves.
Three flowering cherries that have light pink flowers.
Two Japanese Stewartia.
One white crabapple called Sugar Time
And one Katsura placed in the center. It’s a tree with a beautiful structure that is yellow in the fall.
Sunset Nurseries planted four native maples called Armstrong, one sycamore, a clump of Heritage birch and, near the flag poles, three Ivory Silk Tree Lilacs.
Around the corner, in the large space next to the Putnam Public Library, Town Administrator Elaine Sistare said in October or November work should begin on a play scape.
The play equipment needs to come in first so that the pour-in-place rubber material “ground” can be poured around the equipment, locking it in. That material will last decades and is ADA compliant, she said.
Like the open space in front of the complex, the play area was part of the space preserved in the agreement with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Because the Owen Tarr field on that space was recreation land, the state insisted that the town create a like space in another part of town and earmark part of the complex property as open space/recreational. Benches are also coming in.
“It made sense that we would have that space dedicated” to recreation, Sistare said.
The play scape will measure 20 feet by 40 feet. The cost for the equipment and the rubber “ground” is $175,000. The rubber material is tinged in “Putnam Blue.”
The money for the projects is coming from the balance still left in the Municipal Complex budget. The town budgeted a high amount for removal of tainted soil under the original ball fields; however, very little was found, hence the surplus in the budget.
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