A treemendous occasion: biennial awards honors what makes Salisbury look gorgeous
Published 12:10 am Friday, March 29, 2024
Cellist Sharon Wilkins provided music for the program. - Brad Dountz
Jason Walser, left, holds his 2024 Mayor's Award while next to Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander. - Brad Dountz
Dean of Natural Sciences at Catawba College Dr. Jay Bolin spoke on the the Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve during the program. - Brad Dountz
City staff and members of several boards and commissions attended the 2024 Awards Program: Celebrating Trees of North Carolina at the city hall building. - Brad Dountz
All of the awards on display. - Brad Dountz
SALISBURY — It takes a village, or in Salisbury’s case, a city, to establish a welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.
On March 27, the Salisbury Tree Board and Salisbury Appearance Commission held its biennial “2024 Awards Program: Celebrating Trees of North Carolina” at the city hall building to put the people and groups who go out of their way to enhance Salisbury’s surroundings in the spotlight.
“This evening, we will pay tribute to the many individuals, companies and organizations that make Salisbury one of the great cities to live in,” Chair of the Salisbury Appearance Commission Kelly Vanager Miller said.
The guest speaker for the event was Dean of Natural Sciences at Catawba College Dr. Jay Bolin, who talked in length about the Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve. The 198-acre piece of land has been under a conservation easement since 1998 and is a host to a plentiful amount of biodiversity as well as a hotbed for faculty and student research.
“What’s happening now is as the years are progressing, the agricultural areas are going through succession. So today, we have a ton of partners that use the area,” Bolin said.
Bolin also described the challenges the preserve faces such as ditches filled with sentiment, invasive plants and maintaining the early successional habitat. However, Bolin stressed the preserve is still in good shape for future generations.
“I don’t want this to be like doom and gloom, all the trees are dead. The forest is changing and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Bolin said.
A list of the awards that were given include: the Judy McDaniel Tree Steward & Johnny Safrit Preservation Award; the Landscape of the Month Award for residential, urban and commercial properties; the Downtown Holiday Decorations Awards; the 2024 Development Awards for adaptive reuse, public art, facade improvement, new construction, best signage and community enhancement; the Sustainability Award; and the 2024 Mayor’s Award.
Before announcing the 2024 Mayor’s Award winner, Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander said a few words to show her appreciation for the program attendees’ hard work and dedication.
“It is so wonderful to be here this evening and hear all of the citizens that are serving our community in so many different ways and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart that you care for this city so much that you are willing to give your time and talents all the time on these boards and commissions because it really is the thing that makes our community so special,” Alexander said.
Jason Walser won the 2024 Mayor’s Award for his contributions to the Bell Tower Green Park, West End initiative, Dixonville-Lincoln Memorial, and countless other causes. For Walser, everything that he’s accomplished is due to the effort of those around him.
“Only in Salisbury would someone like me have the opportunity to help build a park,” Walser said. “It was truly a community project, but it was a privilege of a lifetime to be able to see that from start to finish and be able to go there today and see our community come together.”
