PEABODY — WANTED: A healthy, well-shaped, 30- to 40-foot tall balsam, fir, or spruce, with a straight trunk.
The city is seeking a donor to contribute a giant Christmas tree to light up the downtown this holiday season and be the centerpiece of the Annual Holiday Stroll and Tree Lighting scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30.
“We prefer to get a tree from a resident that is looking to have one removed, rather than spend money to buy one,” said Jennifer Davis, director of Parks Recreation & Forestry. “Trees of that size cost as much as $4,000 and there’s another $1,500 to have it delivered and installed.”
If you have a tree that fits the description, the city will remove and deliver it to City Hall at no cost to the donor, she said.
“It’s a tradition that began years ago,” Davis said. “But for several years the city had not received a donation, and we would like to bring the tradition back.”
Last year, the Whittier family donated a blue spruce that came with its own story.
On Arbor Day 1988, Jonathan Whittier, then a 7-year-old student at the Center Elementary School, arrived home with a tiny blue spruce sapling.
His parents, Stephen and Cheryl Whittier, planted it in their front yard at Ellsworth Road and Ray Street. Thirty years later it had grown to 30 feet tall.
“The city gave it to us and we are giving it back,” Stephen Whittier told The Salem News last year.
In addition, Whitcomb Tree Service of Peabody provided the crane at their expense and helped the city stand and secure it, and saved the city $1,500.
Davis said the city has considered planting a tree in the small green space in front of City Hall. But it’s a big investment, she said.
“To purchase a live 12-foot root tree cost as much as $12,000,” she said. “We would plant it, maintain it, and grow it, but the initial expense is not cheap.”
To have your tree considered, contact City Hall for an evaluation at [email protected] with your name, address of the tree, and a phone number and email address by Nov. 3.
The selection will be made by Nov. 8 and the owner notified to make arrangements.
“It could be your tree that helps us celebrate the holidays this year,” Davis said.
