Laurene Edmondson Elementary in Loveland has 25 new trees this school year, and the story of how they got there is a good one. Thompson School District’s Sept. 10 write-up credits former principal John Berg with spearheading the effort, which pulled together a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, a donation from Larimer County and district funds. The City of Loveland’s Parks and Recreation Department, the state forestry department, the mayor’s office, Larimer County and Platte River Power Authority are all listed as partners; Korby Landscaping handled construction and Detailed Landscape did the design.
The first tree went in at the school’s Arbor Day assembly on May 8, planted with help from kindergarten students. Crews finished the rest over the summer. Along the way, turf along the south fence came out and was replaced with trees and a native wildflower seed mix, and the irrigation system was adjusted to use less water.
Why shade on a playground matters
The district’s own framing is plain: with increasingly hot days, shade on the playground matters more than it used to, and the project supports Loveland’s Tree City USA designation. It is also a small model of how a school project gets done in Northern Colorado, with a state water board, a county, a city, a power authority and two local landscaping companies pulling in the same direction for one elementary school.
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