Pleasantville Dedicates Tree to Retired DPW Superintendent
For more than 20 years, recently retired Department of Public Works Superintendent Stephen Johnson was the keeper of the trees in Pleasantville.
On Friday, in honor of Arbor Day, the village planted a crabapple tree dedicated to Johnson on Bedford Road in the Old Village while declaring April 27 Stephen Johnson Day.
“It’s an occasion to remember that keeping a healthy, vibrant tree stock doesn’t just happen automatically,” Mayor Peter Scherer said. “Steve gave a lot of care and attention to maintaining our tree stock.”
The tree, located by Michael’s Tavern and A’Mangiare, has a plaque that reads: “Dedicated to Stephen A. Johnson. In Grateful Appreciation of Your Stewardship, Respect, and Care for our Natural Environment.”
Kathy Dinkel, the village’s Beautification Committee chairwoman, also praised Johnson for his work in preserving Pleasantville’s trees.
“He has been great,” Dinkel said. “He has done so much for the trees.”
Johnson, who retired at the end of March, said overseeing Pleasantville’s trees was one of his favorite parts of the job.
“The trees were a joy,” Johnson said. “This was a blast. I loved every minute. I loved everybody I worked with. I think our guys did a great job. It was a just a lot of fun. Thank you for thinking of me.”
For the past 25 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has named Pleasantville a Tree City USA, a program which provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs. The village plants a tree every Arbor Day.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.