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BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ LAUNCHES NEIGHBORHOOD BEAUTIFICATION FUND

Pilot program’s first year includes $1 million for new street trees and tree guards.

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced the launch of the Neighborhood Beautification Fund, a new program that gives Brooklyn community groups the opportunity to make their neighborhoods more attractive. The pilot program’s first year includes $1 million earmarked for the planting of new street trees and the installation of new tree guards in residential areas throughout the borough.

“Street trees not only shade our streets, improve the quality of the air that we breathe and beautify our environment, they also make our homes more attractive and more valuable,” Borough President Markowitz wrote in a letter to community representatives. “And behind the lovely exterior of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods is a network of block associations, civic organizations and community groups working tirelessly to improve their physical appearance — and along with it, the quality of life of our residents.”

Any block association, civic organization or other neighborhood group can apply to receive funds for trees and tree guards through the Neighborhood Beautification Fund by filling out the Fund’s application, which is being mailed out to civic leaders and can also be downloaded from Borough President Markowitz’s website, at www.brooklyn-usa.org. Applications are due September 15, 2004.

The Borough President’s office will coordinate the implementation of tree plantings and tree guards with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and neighborhoods will have four tree-guard designs to choose from. The Fund will allow as many Brooklynites as possible to experience the benefits that plentiful and attractive street trees and tree guards can provide.