Campus Green Tree Planting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 15, 2016
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Thirty-one new trees soon will take root in the heart of Tarleton State University’s Stephenville campus.
Next week, crews will begin planting the trees in the new Campus Green adjacent to the O.A. Grant Humanities Building, Alumni Island and Trogdon House—the final step in completing Phase 2 of the beautification project that has transformed the site of Tarleton’s former dining hall.
According to Cleve Turner, licensed land architect with Turner Land Architecture LLC, the firm acquired to design the Campus Green and associated landscape surrounding Alumni Island, four types of trees will be planted according to Tarleton’s Campus Master Plan guidelines.
Trees to be planted are four Shumard Red Oaks, two Valley Forge American Elms and 15 Oklahoma Red Buds. The remaining 10 Chinquapin Oaks are slated to be planted the first week of January 2017.
“These trees are all native or regionally adapted to the Stephenville area,” Turner explained, “and will bring a visual variety of seasonal color to the Tarleton campus. The variety will avoid creation of a plant monoculture that would subject the campus ‘forest’ to disease, and will provide a balance of growth and longevity.”
Tarleton started the renovation project in fall 2014, transforming Alumni Island and several adjacent streets into a campus pedestrian mall, complete with a water fountain and plaza to honor university founder John Tarleton.
The mall, plaza and Campus Green provide a gateway leading to the university’s core from the east rock gates along Military Drive. The project serves as a key piece of Tarleton’s Campus Master Plan to create bold entrances and aesthetically pleasing campus quads and green spaces while honoring the university’s rich history and traditions.
The plaza and Campus Green will create the “center” of campus—not the physical center, but a gathering place for Tarleton students, alumni, faculty and staff.
“The location of the trees will create a sense of open space in the middle of the Campus Green while providing a visual linkage between the O.A. Grant Building and Alumni Island and, with few exceptions, will avoid existing underground utilities,” Turner said.
The beautification project is funded by The Texas A&M University System.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Kurt Mogonye
254-968-9460
[email protected]
