The Town of Franklin, in partnership with TruGreen has accepted the donation of 100 trees through their “TruNeighbor” program. The donation of the trees, coordinated by State Representative Jeffery N. Roy (D-Franklin), will help support the Commonwealth’s and town’s initiatives in combating climate change. The trees are part of a partnership between TruGreen and the National Arbor Day Foundation.
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| Left to Right - Tony Brunetta (Assistant Highway & Grounds Superintendent), Amy M. Frigulietti (Deputy Town Administrator) Ted Cormier-Leger (Town Councilor), Cobi Frongillo (Town Councilor), Carlos Rebelo (Highway & Grounds Superintendent), Jeffrey N. Roy (State Representative), David Leonhard (TruGreen Region Director) and Michael Reed, (TruGreen Market General Manager) |
TruGreen has donated four types of trees consisting of Black Gum, October Morning Glory, Kousa Dogwood, and Grenspire Linden trees.
To commemorate, a tree-planting ceremony was held at Dacey Field in Franklin, in which one of the first trees received was planted. Dacey Field will receive 25 trees. Even before the ceremony started DPW crews were hard at work planting them in the center of the parking lot. Held at noon on Tuesday April 30, Representative Roy was also joined by town leaders, Town Councilors, DPW officials, and representatives from TruGreen.
"On the heels of Earth Day and Arbor Day, we would like to extend our gratitude to both TruGreen Lawn Care in Franklin for their donation of 100 trees and Representative Roy for coordinating this gift to the Town", stated Amy Frigulietti, Franklin's Deputy Town Administrator. "Franklin has made significant strides in recent years towards protecting and enhancing our green infrastructure through open space acquisition, conservation efforts and sustainable practices. Over the next few weeks, the Town's DPW will work to find suitable homes for all of these trees and I look forward to seeing them enhance Franklin's landscape."
Representative Roy stated, “From the perspective of climate change and global warming, these trees are actually carbon-capture devices and I’m thrilled that TruGreen made them available to us. These trees will provide monetary savings for Franklin residents, including:
• 109,542 KW Hours of energy over 20 years or $16,373.91 in electric savings
• $4,713.82 in fuel savings
• $9,936.92 in stormwater value
• $7,889.80 in CO2 value
• $4,742 in air value
This adds up to a total of $43,614.87 in savings, along with continued help in fighting climate change.”
Carlos Rebelo, Town of Franklin Highway and Grounds Superintendent added, “On behalf of the Town of Franklin we appreciate Representative Roy working with TrueGreen to donate 100 trees to our community. Being recognized as a ‘Tree City USA Member’ in 2022 we were very excited when Representative Roy reached out to us with this generous donation. As a member, we take pride in planting trees around town and understand the many benefits trees provide. When I heard about the tree donation, I knew exactly where we could benefit from some new tree plantings. At the Dacey Community Park located on Lincoln Street we will be planting 25 trees at this park which will provide many benefits like shade, support wildlife, add curb appeal, oxygen for the environment and helping to combat global warming. The other trees will be given away through a Street Tree Lottery for residents to plant and also to other environmental justice areas like the Franklin Housing Authority.”
Town Council member Cobi Frongillo remarked that, "We are incredibly grateful to TruGreen for their donation and to Representative Roy for his assistance. The trees will help save Franklin money, beautify the Town, and reduce our carbon footprint."
Michael Reed, TruGreen’s Market General Manager said, “TruGreen has been a proud member of the Franklin business community for over 20 years. We are excited to be able to partner with State Representative Jeff Roy and The National Arbor Day Foundation with the donation of 100 trees to our hometown of Franklin.”
Once the speeches ended, the officials used both shovels and hands to plant the tree.
In addition to the 25 trees, the grass in the medians at Dacey Field is being replaced with wood chips to lower maintenance, costs, and pesticide use. The remaining 75 trees will be planted in parks and open spaces throughout the town. The upcoming "street tree lottery" with will be advertised throughout the Town and social media. The one condition will be that the tree has to planted along the roadside in front of their property.
