BOONE, Iowa—The Boone City Council received an update about the second phase of the downtown tree project during its second regular meeting of the month last Monday. Kelley Molitor, member of the Downtown Boone Mainstreet Committee, detailed recent ongoing efforts to place grates around the 32 trees planted in the downtown district two years ago. She noted that the grates were a response to business owners’ concerns about the potential for mulch to be tracked into their buildings.

Boone High School metal class students, working with their teacher Jim Fitzgerald, were invited to submit potential grate designs. Earlier this month thirty FFA students, supported by Public Works Director Waylon Andrews, spent time preparing the tree spaces for mulching and grate placement.

LANE Trailer Manufacturing Co., 1215 Montana Road, allowed the metal class students to use its metal-cutting machinery to produce the grates. Molitor said 27 of the grates have been manufactured and the remaining five were expected to be done by the Memorial Day weekend.

Molitor thanked the students, Fitzgerald, city council and city staff and the LANE Trailer ownership, she also expressed her appreciation to Freedom Tree Care for its expertise, the Boone 100’s Club for its financial support and volunteers who worked on the project.

“As an organization, we’re trying to build as many community partnerships as we can,” Molitor said. “This has been the culmination of a lot of groups.”

A dedication event is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 27, at the Community Greenspace at Eighth and Story streets.

Installed grate located in front of the Book Shoppe downtown Boone.

(contributed press release, informational flyer)