Lock Haven council accepts donated evergreen for Triangle Park, asks for soil testing before planting

Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. offered to donate and maintain a permanent evergreen to serve as the city’s holiday tree and council voted to accept the gift, conditioned on site selection and soil testing.

A Downtown Lock Haven representative said the group would plant an 18–20 foot tree (likely starting at about 10 feet) from the spruce family and would handle annual maintenance including fertilization and trimming. Council members and staff warned that several previous trees had failed at the planned Triangle Park site; they asked public works to test multiple locations in the park before placement so the new tree would survive and be compatible with the park’s forthcoming redesign.

Council took the motion and, after discussion about soil suitability, maintenance and the possibility of moving the tree if the park design changes, approved the donation. A council member urged flexibility to avoid installing a tree where it will later conflict with the engineer’s preliminary design.

The tree donation decision was framed as a conditional acceptance: staff will identify potential sites, perform soil tests, and coordinate with the Triangle Park redesign before planting. The council did not set a planting date; speakers said the tree could be installed this year or next depending on timing of the redesign and site tests.

Quotes in this story come from remarks recorded at the council meeting. The Downtown Lock Haven representative outlined the donation and maintenance offer; public works and council members emphasized the need for soil testing and coordination with the park redesign. The motion passed in the meeting vote recorded in the transcript.