County to pass out free trees

Pinellas County Urban Forestry will host a tree giveaway for county residents at 4550 126th Ave. N, Clearwater, from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 18.

A variety of tree species will be available at this drive-thru event on a first-come, first-served basis. Each household may receive up to two trees to help improve our urban tree canopy. Trees will be in 3-gallon containers and average 5-feet tall.

Trees available while supplies last:

• Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress)

• Ilex cassine (Dahoon Holly)

• Quercus virginiana (Live Oak)

• Pinus palustrus (Longleaf Pine)

• Pinus elliottii var. densa (South Florida Slash Pine)

• Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay Magnolia)

Tierra Verde Fire Station celebrates new engine

The Tierra Verde community recently helped celebrate Fire Station 21’s new engine with a truck push ceremony, where residents had the opportunity to manually push the new engine into the fire station’s bay.

“This new engine represents our continued commitment to Tierra Verde,” says Fire Chief Richard Graham “We couldn’t be more proud to serve this community, day in and day out. This engine gives us the advanced capabilities needed to respond when lives are on the line.”

Among its capabilities, the new engine can carry 500 gallons of water, 1,000 feet of fire hose, and medical and extraction equipment.

After more than 16 years of service, the previous Engine 21 will transition to a backup resource at the station.

In addition to the new truck, Tierra Verde Fire Station has added a rescue boat and jet ski for water rescues around the island. The station building has seen several improvements over the past year, including new flooring, new roof, painting, and a new station generator.

The new engine was funded through the Tierra Verde Fire District Funds, a special district property tax.

PSTA celebrates retiring drivers

On March 6, PSTA’s Operations Team bid farewell to five bus operators as they retired from the agency.

• Patty Davidson — 26 years and 2 months of service

• Zelda Robinson — 20 years and 8 months of service

• Steve McAllister — 19 years and 11 months of service

• James Whittaker — 19 years and 1 month of service

• Richard Nagle — 22 years and 8 months of service