T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM The MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund supplied the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center with trees and shrubs following the damage from the 2020 derecho.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

— Nelson Henderson

Lyle Jensen, vice president and treasurer of the MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund used that quote to sum up the completion of the “Bringing Back the Green” restoration project of the Marshalltown High School Class of 1969. After donating some plants for the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) two weeks ago, there are no further plantings scheduled.

The fund donated 18 trees, 33 shrubs, 48 perennials and 63 groundcovers for the grounds of the MACC.

“We planted a wide variety,” Jensen said. “It looks great.”

Some of the variety of trees implanted at the MACC included blue arrow juniper, eastern redbud and a bloodgood Japanese maple tree. The shrubs included Kansas double peonies, arctic fire red twig dogwoods and a white catawba rhododendron.

MACC Director of Operations Nancy Vellinga Burke is pleased with the results.

“We gave them our wish list of everything we wanted, and they gave it all to us,” she said. “Then a couple crews from Emerson planted them. There was no way we could have done this on our own. It looks spectacular.”

Burke is especially looking forward to next spring as some of the trees will flower.

“We’re excited to see how that looks,” she said.

The overall response of the community has been gratifying for Jensen, and he said the population wants to see the greenery restored in the main part of Marshalltown.

“The people know the importance of the green canopy over the main streets,” he said. “They have an appreciation for someone standing up, raising money and replacing the trees. This is part of the beauty of having a legacy project like this. These trees are going to last 40 to 50 years.”

Courthouse

While the Marshalltown green canopy restoration projects are completed, Jensen said the fund is open for a possible “Phase 2,” which would involve the Marshall County Courthouse.

Fund members delivered 42 trees and 638 shrubs and perennials to the courthouse with the purpose of planting them in the town square. However, not all of the plants survived.

Lucas Baedke, buildings and grounds director for Marshall County, said the plants were delivered too early, and 40 percent did not survive.

“We couldn’t get them in fast enough,” he said.

Baedke said the fund members were great to work with, and they offered to buy the plants which were featured in the landscape architect’s drawing.

“They were very generous,” he said. “It is just unfortunate the timeline did not work.”

Marshall County Supervisor Steve Salasek said there is pending litigation against the original courthouse general contractor Perfection/First Onsite as a result of the demise of the plants. Perfection/First Onsite was tasked with the job of planting the trees and shrubs, but failed to do so in a timely manner.

“The value of the trees and the shrubs that were not planted — we are holding that against the contractor,” Salasek said. “Some of the plants did not survive and it was devastating watching that happen. Nothing could be done.”

Salasek estimates the value of the dead plants is roughly $15,000, which would be included in the $1.5 million to $2 million of damages the county is seeking.

“It will be a few months before we know anything,” he said.

Even though Salasek appreciates the offer of the fund to institute a second phase for the courthouse landscaping, he did not feel it would be an offer to accept. Baedke agreed.

“This is personal to me,” Salasek said. “Hopefully the litigation will reimburse for the cost of the plants, but I don’t think we will go back to [the MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund] and ask for more trees. I think that would be wrong.”

Despite the loss of some of the greenery, Baedke said there are a lot of wonderful things happening to the exterior of the courthouse. The scaffolding is coming down and next week concrete will be poured. Landscaping will then follow, he said.

BRINGING BACK THE GREEN:

Since the fund was incorporated in August 2018 after the tornado, the group has provided Marshalltown with 824 trees and 778 shrubs and perennials. The locations and the plant numbers through the years are:

• Marshall County Courthouse — 42 trees, 638 shrubs and perennials

• Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center — 18 trees, 140 shrubs and perennials

• Iowa Veterans Home campus — 197 trees

• Iowa Veterans Home Valor Baseball Field — 30 trees

• Marshalltown city parks — 128 trees

• Marshall County parks — 70 trees

• Sixth Street Little League Complex — 15 trees

• Marshalltown Community School District elementary schools — 52 trees

• Marshalltown High School campus — 5 trees

• Pickleball courts — 19 trees

• American Legion Freedom Trail — 10 trees

• American Legion Golf Course — 12 trees

• Park Place Condominiums — 77 trees

• Village Cooperative — 16 trees

• Private properties, including JBS Mother’s Day employee gifts — 133 trees

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210

or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.