The Oxford Village Council is moving forward with plans to plant four trees in Scripter Park.
This project has been in the works for some time now with the village at one point working with students at Oxford High School who, last year, expressed interest in working with the village to also add a memorial for the lives lost in the tragedy that occurred at the high school in November of 2021.
However, after not hearing from the student group since last fall, the council unanimously decided at their Sept. 12 meeting to move forward with their original plan of planting the trees, noting that with fall on the horizon there is a small window of time to get the trees in before the winter months.
The council approved the purchase of four-inch maple trees for $1,200 apiece.
While the council approved moving forward with the project, they were also vocal about still being in support of the student group putting in a memorial if they are still interested in doing so.
“I don’t want the kids to feel like we are rushing them. I don’t want them to feel like we’re doing this instead, or we’re backing out. I want them to take whatever time they need and get exactly what they want, when they want it and (they will) have our full support along the way,” said Councilmember Lori Bourgeau.
The trees are expected to be placed outside of the area that was set aside for the student group to add a memorial.  — M.K.