Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 14, 2023 A “Tree City” prepares for Arbor Day By Laura Eisener A rbor Day is April 28, and, as always, the Saugus Tree Committee is working on celebrating this annual holiday. On April 8, three volunteers worked at clearing overgrowth and checking on the tree situation after last year’s drought. The Saugus Tree Committee is hoping Saugus will receive our Tree City USA status again in 2023, and the chairman is working on that application. Although the tree farm site is in an area which may be wetter than ideal for nurturing some tree species, this site does have two necessary features for tree growth: a source of water (there is a faucet and hose) and a high fence to protect sapling trees from deer and vandals. At the tree farm, small trees are nurtured to a size suitable for planting on streets, parks and other public areas in Saugus. Volunteers are needed to help plant trees, weed and water this spring, and a few tree volunteer days will be scheduled. To volunteer or for more information, contact Nancy Prag at nrprag@gmail.com. Students in several classes Pictured from left to right: Volunteers Nicki Pszenny, Ryan Duggan and Nancy Prag recently worked at cutting back brush in the Saugus Tree Farm. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) are working on posters about the importance of trees for the poster contest, and the Tree Committee hopes to be planting some new trees this year in public areas around town. In 2021, due in part to some grants and donations, a record number of street trees were planted in locations requested by nearby property owners, but the drought in 2022 made extensive tree plantings impractical for that season. Sgt. Stephen Rappa will be running in his first Boston Marathon, and his cause is the Sean A. Collier Memorial Foundation. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) ASKS | FROM PAGE 9 MPOC and I graduated in the 30th. Q: What cause will you be running for this year? If you are running for a charity. A: I’m running for the Sean A. Collier Memorial Foundation. He was the MIT Police Officer killed in the line of duty a couple days after the Boston Marathon bombing.All the money that goes to this charity helps to establish community policing type programs within the state along with scholarships under Sean’s name. It’s truly a humbling experience to be running for Sean on the 10th anniversary of his death. Q: What’s your fondest Boston Marathon memory? That would be as an observer. A: I’ve never actually been to a Boston Marathon, even as a spectator. Q: How long will you keep running this race? A: Right now I’m not too sure – I just want to get through this one. Q: After running a Boston Marathon, what will you do the next day? A: Ice my feet and relax. Five cops running for charity at the Saugus Police Department, pictured from left to right, and their respective causes for running: Sgt. Stephen Rappa, the Officer Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund; Lt. Anthony LoPresti, Tedy Bruschi’s Charity Team; Detective Stacey Forni, the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation; Officer Alison Cooper, the Herren Project; and Officer Brett DiPanfilo, the TB12 Foundation. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Q: Have any friends or family members run this race before? A: Yes – Tony LoPresti, Alison Cooper and Stacy Forni have all run it.They’ve been a big help in giving me some tips about race day and how they’ve trained in the past. Q: Anything else that you would like to share about this experience? A:Thanks to my wife and kids for allowing me to train as much as I do. Even though it’s one person running, it’s certainly a team sport in my house. Interview with Lt. Anthony LoPresti Q: How did you get involved in Marathon running? A: I’ve worked security in the Newton portion of the race route with NEMLEC [Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council] during the five years before I decided to run my first one [2019]. And watching it really made me want to do it. Q: And why Boston? A: Always wanted to run it. I always said if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it before I’m 50. Well, that’s when I did it. It was my first time at 49. Q: When did you start running? A: I started running when I was in the Marine Corps because we had to. I’ve kept it up throughout the years, just not to the same extent. But it really kicked into high gear last year. Q: How long have you been running? Why do you run? What do you get out of it? A: I’ve been running for more than 30 years or so, mostly small runs to stay in shape. Q: Talk about the sense of accomplishment you get from this exhausting and physically challenging activity. Not everybody gets out and runs a Boston Marathon. A: They call this the hardest marathon around. When you get on Boylston Street, you feel very accomplished and very excited – you feel all different emotions. As Tedy says, it’s ‘the Super Bowl of Marathons – when you come to the finish line, it’s the same thing as if you won the Super Bowl.’ It’s a great feeling. Q: What’s it like at the start of the race? Or, what do you think it will be like? A: I think it will be nervous excitement and a little bit of stress and worry – to complete the marathon and do the best you can possibly do. Q: Do you have friends or running buddies you’ll be running with in this year’s marathon? A: There’s about 50 of them. And I will be running with another runner from Saugus, Christine DiGirolamo. Q: How many miles do you do in an average year? A: Not sure. Run a couple of runs a week, three to five miles. When not training for a marathon, maybe 400 miles. Q: Do you do other marathon races besides Boston? And will you run in others this year? ASKS | SEE PAGE 15
11 Publizr Home