Dayton, Ohio - April 28, 2017 - The Dayton Power and Light Company (DP&L), a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), awarded two $50,000 grants to the cities of Bellefontaine and Vandalia as part of the Right Tree, Right Place program to beautify city parks and public spaces while increasing the tree canopy with utility-friendly trees. Education is the primary goal of the Right Tree, Right Place program - supplying our customers instructional tools to help them plant smart with utilities in mind.
The Tree City USA communities of Bellefontaine and Vandalia each will receive a $50,000 grant to plant utility-friendly trees and enhance the landscape for their residents to enjoy for many years. Both communities applied for the environmental grants through DP&L's Right Tree, Right Place program, an effort to educate customers to plant trees a safe distance from power lines. DP&L is committed to protecting the environment and educating our customers; to accomplish this we have partnered with local businesses and organizations to encourage smart and safe tree planting in the Miami Valley.
"We are so excited to have been selected as one of this year's recipients of the grant," said Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler. "Like many communities in the Miami Valley, we are richly blessed to have a wide variety of trees throughout our city. We are proud to be a Tree City USA community for the past 37 years. This grant will allow us to replace trees and provide a fresh renewed look in many areas of our city. The impact of such an effort will be felt community-wide and for many years!"
"We're elated to receive this grant and grateful to Dayton Power and Light for their support of our plan," shared Vandalia Mayor Arlene Setzer. "The grant will be used to help beautify one of our emerging amenities, the Vandalia Art Park. As a Tree City USA member, we understand the importance of trees, and we appreciate the need to locate those trees in areas in which they will not interfere with the delivery of utilities."
The environmental grants complete the second successful year of the Right Tree, Right Place program. Since the program launch, over 640 trees have been planted; along with these two grants and another large utility-friendly tree planting being announced on Monday, we will have initiated the planting of over 870 trees through the Right Tree, Right Place program.
"DP&L is pleased by the continued adoption and practice of our environmentally critical Right Tree, Right Place program from our communities. Every customer in the Miami Valley will benefit from utility-friendly trees for years to come," said President and CEO of DP&L Tom Raga. "Through smart planning and cooperation, Right Tree, Right Place demonstrates how we can all enjoy the beauty of nature without compromising the safe and reliable electricity we depend on to power our daily lives."
Right Tree, Right Place returns this fall; watch for more utility-friendly tree giveaways and grants by visiting our website as we work to enhance the communities we serve.