LATEST CWU LANDSCAPING PROJECT UNDERWAY

April 20, 2005

Contact: Barry Carruthers (509-963-1829/fax 509-963-3301/e-mail: caruther@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - As part of Central Washington University's Sue Lombard Hall renovation project, a comprehensive landscaping plan is now underway on site. It includes the necessary removal and replacement of 10 trees throughout the site.

"They are in areas that we need for bicycle shelters and storage areas," Barry Caruthers, CWU project manager, says. "We're going to replace them with 14 trees of several different varieties"

Not only will those new trees be attractive, but hearty and durable, too. And, they will be in line with the university's recently announced plan to reduce watering around its Ellensburg campus as a way to save more than 10 million gallons of water this summer to help alleviate the state's drought. Part of that plan involves replanting areas with species that require less water.

"These trees are better suited for the central Washington environment and the areas where they will be planted," Caruthers says.

The tree replacement is a small part of a 15-year plan to rejuvenate the center of campus. It also involves replacement of existing light poles with period-type lighting fixtures around Sue Lombard and the 9th Avenue mall.