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Work to begin on trustee's ideas

Plans include public art, plantings and community gardens that grow food

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The Valley Stream Board of Trustees endorsed three of Trustee Vincent Grasso’s four proposed sustainability initiatives on Monday, which Grasso scaled back in scope after he held a series of community meetings to discuss his ideas with residents.

Planning can now begin for the three approved initiatives — plantings in public spaces, a community garden and food donation program, and a public art project. The fourth idea, which would allow residents to keep chickens in their yards, will continue to be discussed.

“I couldn’t be more supportive of his initiatives,” Trustee Virginia Clavin-Higgins said after the presentation. “We are fortunate to have a lot of public space in the village to get these things done… I’m very excited to be a part of it.”

The Herald outlined the original proposals after Grasso’s first of six public forums in April. Grasso said that after presenting his ideas to residents and his colleagues on the board, he was able to form a more clear and practical vision regarding the plans. He said they will be put in motion later this year.

Permaculture projects

Grasso proposed that certain natural elements be added to the village’s parks to make the spaces healthier. The plan, which included the addition of a food forest in a section of Mill Pond Park, shrunk considerably since Grasso first laid it out.

The project was broken down into three smaller elements and distributed around three of the village’s parks: Arlington, Hendrickson and Mill Pond Parks.

“Initially, we wanted to build a whole forest in one of our parks, but the scope of that was just too big,” Grasso said. “Instead, this can spread different independent elements around our village…with the hope being that people will see them, take an interest and this can grow organically.”

Arlington Park will get a guild of American Chestnut trees, which Grasso said were once common in the area. By planting the trees in what are known as guilds — communities of plants that work together and can naturally help each other grow — he contends that the trees can survive without the need for fertilizers, pesticides, weed control and hydration.

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