Beautification board remembers Hackett with Arbor Week tree planting

Liz Cuneo, from left, Linda Kinney, Tom Irby, Mayor Troy Trulock and Lynda Johnston plant a Brandywine Maple tree at Dublin Park in memory of Joe Hackett. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Madison Beautification and Tree Board remembered one of its members with a tree planting for Alabama’s Arbor Week.

Board members and Mayor Troy Trulock gathered at Dublin Park on Feb. 19 for the ceremonial planting. Current board members Tom Irby, Linda Kinney and Meredith Kilby attended, along with board alumni Elizabeth Cuneo and Billy Morrison.

Their first planting was a Japanese Snowbell tree, “a spring flowering ornamental that graces the western side of Dublin Park,” Kilby said.

In addition, a Brandywine Maple tree honors the memory of longtime Madison Beautification and Tree Board member Joe Hackett, who passed away on Sept. 5, 2013. This large shade tree is located west of the front soccer field.

A plaque honoring Hackett’s lasting contributions to Madison’s public landscapes is planned at the site.

“Trees were Joe’s passion,” Hackett’s wife, Lynda Johnston, said. Johnston currently serves on the board. Previously, “Joe and Lynda were actively involved in the Arbor Foundation’s Tree City – USA program,” Kilby said.

In 1994, the couple moved to Madison from Louisiana. “Before his death, Joe donated a 50-gallon, pull-behind water sprayer to the City of Madison to facilitate the watering of newly planted trees in city parks and public spaces,” Kilby said.

The beautification board is hosting “Pruning 101 with Harvey Cotten” today from 6 to 8 p.m. in Dublin’s conference room. The workshop is free, open to the public and includes door prizes from Madison garden centers and live tree giveaways.

In other activities, the board sponsored an Arbor Week poster contest for area fifth-graders. Winning students from five Madison schools were recognized at the City Council meeting on Feb. 10.

Courtney Horn of Columbia Elementary School earned third place in the statewide poster contest for Arbor Week, administered by the Alabama County Extension System in Anniston. Horn will participate in a tree planting ceremony with Gov. Robert Bentley in Montgomery.