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There was a tree-planting ceremony Friday at Bixler Park after a Red Sunset Maple was donated to the city of Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department by the Warsaw Aktion Club.
Aktion Club is a service club sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The club likes to do a different service project every season, said Michelle Boxell, Aktion Club member and marketing communications specialist for Cardinal Services.
Club members were talking about what they wanted to do in the fall and one of the members mentioned the city lost some trees in the spring and they thought to buy a tree and donate it to the city’s parks department.
Warsaw Parks Maintenance Director Shaun Gardner said the parks department was contacted by Boxell about donating the tree. He said the city is always welcome to having trees donated to the parks.
Friday, Aktion Club members came and helped put the tree in the ground at Bixler Park. Gardner said he picked the location to plant the tree and he asked them to get a Red Sunset Maple.
“We’ve added a lot of trees in a lot of parks over the few years,” Gardner said, adding since a new sidewalk was put in at Bixler Park that park lost some trees closer to Center Lake, “so we want to get a few of those back in.”
The Aktion Club hosted a Culver’s Share Nite where they raised some money for the tree. They went to the Open Air Garden Center and Greenhouse. Club members let owner Juergen Voss know they had $150 and were shown a number of trees.
Club members saw the tree they eventually donated and they were told it was a $250 tree, but Voss said he would give it to them for $150.
“He donated half the price of the tree to us, which was really nice,” Boxell said.
Gardner said he hopes the tree is able to provide some shade for people to enjoy the park.
