Community Vision and Funding
While the physical work of this project became visible only recently, the effort to bring new trees back to downtown Randolph began years earlier through the work of community volunteers and local advocates.
One of the organizations that helped shape the vision for this project was Walk+Bike+Roll Randolph, a citizen-led group dedicated to making Randolph safer, healthier, and more attractive for people who walk, bike, and move throughout the community. Through community outreach efforts, including surveys and a downtown walk audit attended by residents and community leaders, a recurring theme emerged: downtown Randolph needed more street trees.
Street trees provide far more than aesthetic value. They create shade for pedestrians, improve the character of downtown spaces, help establish a stronger sense of place, and can even contribute to traffic calming by visually narrowing road corridors and encouraging slower vehicle speeds. These benefits aligned closely with the goals of improving the downtown experience for residents, visitors, and local businesses.
Among the volunteers who helped move this vision forward was Jon Kaplan, co-chair of Walk+Bike+Roll Randolph. As conversations about downtown tree planting continued, Randolph Deputy Tree Warden Jeffrey Thayer began exploring opportunities to secure funding for a larger planting initiative. Recognizing the challenges associated with pursuing competitive grants, Jon offered his assistance.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, where he oversaw and participated in numerous grant programs, Jon helped research funding opportunities, prepare grant applications, and navigate the application process. Together with Jeffrey Thayer and Town staff, the project gained support through the Town of Randolph's grant approval process and ultimately secured funding from multiple sources.
The project received grant support through the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Urban and Community Forestry Program as well as the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. These grants provided critical funding for both the rehabilitation of existing tree sites and the creation of new planting locations throughout downtown Randolph.
Additional support was provided through a generous contribution from the Randolph Rotary Club, matching funds from the Town of Randolph, and in-kind services provided by the Randolph Highway Department. Contributions and material support from local partners, including Central Supplies and others, further strengthened the project and demonstrated the community-wide commitment to its success.
Another important partner during the planning and grant development process was DuBois & King. Landscape architects Dan Mallach and Emily Lewis provided valuable guidance while evaluating existing and proposed planting locations. Their expertise helped shape the overall planting plan, and they developed detailed mapping used within the grant applications to illustrate the locations of both new and rehabilitated tree sites.
By the time construction began, the project had already benefited from years of advocacy, planning, volunteer effort, professional expertise, and community support. The trees now planted throughout downtown Randolph stand as a visible reminder of what can be accomplished when residents, local organizations, businesses, and municipal leaders work together toward a shared vision for the future of their community.
The original proposal for Tree Maintenance and Planting for the Town of Randolph