'Shovel-ready' project; Bay begins replanting its leafy canopy in wake of June tornado
The Village of Williams Bay made its first shovel-in-the-ground step toward post-tornado recovery on Oct. 11 with the planting of approximately 15 trees at Carlson Park and the the Williams Bay Beach House with the assistance of numerous community volunteers, including seven Williams Bay High School students.
At 8:22 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, an EF-1 tornado struck Williams Bay, resulting in a June 23-July 1 state of emergency in the village. The tornado cut a swatch of destruction through the Bailey Estates subdivision, the Williams Bay Lions Club Fieldhouse campus and neighboring Lions Athletic Field, Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy, the Cedar Point neighborhood, and Williams Bay's scenic, tree-lined Geneva Lake waterfront.
Volunteers of all ages banded together on Oct. 11 to begin efforts aimed at restoring the leafy canopy in Williams Bay, an Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA member community for the past 22 years.
"It's inspiring ... community unity," said Williams Bay Village Board Trustee Adam Jaramillo, a Class of 2006 Williams Bay High School alumnus. "It's great. I feel really good about it."
According to Williams Bay Village Board Trustee Rob Uman, who chairs the village's recently-formed Ad-Hoc Tree Enhancement Committee, the trees were purchased at wholesale pricing from Menomonee Falls-based Johnson Nurseries, Inc.
Plantings along Williams Bay's scenic Geneva Lake lakefront included Redpoint Maple, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, Wisconsin Red Musclewood, Eastern Redbud, River Birch, Espresso Kentucky Coffeetree, and Swamp Bur Oak.
"I want to thank everyone," Umans said of the community support — on the committee level, hands-on at the lakefront last Friday, and generous donors to fundraising efforts to replace tornado-damaged trees on village property, including the lakefront. "A lot of people have been involved to make this happen so quickly. I want to thank everyone for all the donations we've received ... We're a small village and everone participates, everyone volunteers. It's what we do. It's Williams Bay at its best."
Umans thanked Williams Bay School District Administrator Dr. Bill White for his "very gracious" support of the Oct. 11 tree planting initative, with seven Williams Bay High School students volunteering at the lakefront as part of the 174-student high school's annual Charlie Mestek Day of Service community service initiative.
"The Williams Bay community has a long history of organizations supporting the community, including the school district, Lions, Civic League, Lioness, Historical Society, Fire Department, Police Department, Kishwauketoe," White said. "All of these organizations and individual community members have shown great support to our school district by providing scholarships and other support, including donations. The Charlie Mestek Day of Service is designed so that our children learn the importance of giving back to the community and understanding how service to others is valued and appreciated."
White noted students participated in the Charlie Mestek Day of Service at 17 sites around Williams Bay, including Frost Park, Yerkes Observatory, Kishwauketoe Nature Conservance, the Williams Bay Fire Department, The Atrium, Conference Point, Holiday Home Camp and the Williams Bay Community Garden, as well as several private residences.
Volunteering to plant River Birch and Serviceberry at Carlson Park on Oct. 11 were Williams Bay juniors Aaron Diaz and Manny Ruiz, Williams Bay sophomore Ethan Welsh, Walworth senior Samuel Normington-Slay, Williams Bay senior Ricky Rojas, Williams Bay sophomore Cameron Keith and Williams Bay freshman Logan Wierzbinski.
"We've got a good group of guys here and have worked really hard," Welsh said. "We're all enjoying it. It's a great thing we have our school coming out into the community and helping. Go Dawgs!"
Umans noted that the Ad-Hoc Tree Enhancement Committee's initial tree plantings last week were done "at no cost" to the village thanks to community monetary donations and volunteer labor.
The lakefront plantings at Carlson Park and the Williams Bay Beach House, Umans said, are the first of multiple planned plantings to replace tornado-destroyed trees on village-owned lands around the village, including the Williams Bay Lions Club Fieldhouse campus and other sites.
