Editor, Ceres Courier,

Out of everything going on in the city, the one thing I cannot stop thinking about is the grant for 1,300 trees that Ceres received.  

As the good parent that I strive to be, prior to my daughter starting preschool, I did a trial walk with her to school so that very few things would be new to her on her first day. During my short 10-minute walk, it was very clear that although her school is a few minutes walk from home, walking there in the summer months is out of the question because of the lack of trees. Fortunately, I’m privileged enough to be able to drive my kids to school, unfortunately for others, they don’t have that luxury and have to walk home in the blaring heat.  

Hatch, Mitchell and Whitmore all have visible evidence on their sidewalks that at one point an effort was made to line those streets with trees. I hope our council and those responsible for these trees can renew the efforts in those streets, as well as in schools so our kids can safely play under the shade during recess. Leaders don’t need to look far for inspiration, Eastgate here in Ceres, as well as Christoffersen Parkway in Turlock are perfect examples of what would benefit this city in combatting heat island effect and allow residents to go on walks at any time of the day.

Great job in obtaining the grant; now let’s honor the “Tree City USA” sign posted on Whitmore near La Rosa, where there are hardly any trees.

Alvaro Franco,

Ceres

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