The Farmingdale Beautification Committee, a group of local residents and business members interested in beautifying the Village of Farmingdale, is once again hosting their Adopt-A-Tree-Well Program throughout the village. This time, the committee is looking to beautify the community not only for its residents, but also for visitors who will soon be passing through the village on their way to the US Open which will be taking place at Bethpage State Park this spring.

To help them in their quest to better-beautify the streets of Farmingdale, the committee is looking for volunteers who would be interested in helping them in this process. Through participating and becoming a member of the volunteer committee, residents will get the opportunity to meet other residents and their families, as well as local business members in the community.

According to committee chairperson Sylvia Claase, there are over 80 tree wells throughout the village on Main Street. More than 50 percent of the tree wells are usually adopted by local businesses, which she said makes it easier to not only maintain the tree well, but also the area right outside their establishment. Claase explained how generally, when a business begins to care for a tree well in front of their establishment, they have the tendency to maintain the sidewalk as well.

"It's a natural process that works very well," she said. "It encourages everyone to be more aware of Main Street itself."

Claase said that committee members Joan and Tom Ryan, who are organizing the Adopt-A-Tree-Well Project for the committee this year, have already begun the process of walking along Main Street and asking businesses if they would care to join in the project.

After businesses adopt their share of tree wells, Claase explained, the rest are generally cared for by local residents and civic organizations such as Girl or Boy Scouts and the Junior League.

To participate, residents need to design a flower garden to fill a 3x3 area. After planting the garden, the person or persons who adopted the tree well are expected to nurture and maintain it throughout the spring and summer months, into the fall; from May through October.

There are certain guidelines provided to residents as to what they can do with their well. The committee asks that residents design some sort of floral arrangement, pretty much anything is acceptable. After receiving interest from the community, the committee invites residents to attend their next meeting, which will take place in March, to hear from others who have experience in caring about tree wells as well as get ideas as to what they can do with theirs.

Claase noted that the extent of care largely depends on the location of the tree well, and that some are easier to care for than others. Those who decide to plant smaller flowers may need to water and maintain them more often, while those who choose larger more established plants may not have to put in as much time. That in mind, Claase said that approximately two or three visits a week to maintain and nurture the garden should suffice. However, should summer months, particularly August, bring with them a dry spell, the plants will need more attention and certainly more water. She added that since the plants are in competition with not only the wind, but also the roots of the tree, since they are tree wells, they will need more attention during dry spells.

Claase said that in the past, which she is hoping will also happen this season, many residents have developed positive relationships with other tree well adoptees and noted that many offer to help each other out in the event that somebody may not be able to watch over their garden due to an event such as vacationing.

"When we first started doing it, we didn't think we'd get such a response," Claase said, recalling that the committee anticipated that only about 20 of the wells would get adopted. "We were overwhelmed by the tremendous response. As long as we have that, we'll keep it going."

The Village Beautification Committee has been beautifying the area for more than a decade, but the Adopt-A-Tree-Well project has only been in effect for two seasons, this spring/summer being their third.

All Farmingdale families and businesses are welcome to take part in this, what the committee promises to be a fun beautification event. To join in the efforts, residents are asked to send a postcard with their name, telephone number and interest by Jan. 31 to:

"Adopt-A-Tree-Well"

c/o Farmingdale Village Hall

361 Main Street

Farmingdale, NY 11735

For more information, please contact Joan and Tom Ryan at 249-8940.