T-Mobile awarded a $35,000 grant to the Durant Sustainability Coalition that will be used to plant trees in downtown Durant.
The announcement was made March 13 at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center & Library.
Jeremy Spence, board chair for DSC, said it’s a part of the company’s Hometown Grants program that is specifically for smaller communities and that DSC was lucky to receive the grant.
“Our board applied and we had to partner with Main Street as a big component,” Spence said. “So, we’re a Main Street member and through that alliance, it really gave us some preferential treatment about how to be able to best utilize that money for our city.”
Spence said that he thinks the reason DSC was awarded the grant is because of a plan in place with Durant Main Street and the City of Durant on where to plant the trees.
“So, we have a year long because of growing cycles and when to plant trees,” Spence said. “Over the course of the year, we’ll be planting trees in already targeted areas on Main Street corridor and First Avenue which are in need of a lot of shade and trees.
Spence said trees will help with water runoff and storm drain water runoff.
“The less water we’re able to get onto the ground initially, that’s just less water that accumulates,” Spence said. “There’s a lot of environmental benefits as well aside from the shade. The heat reduction and the visibility and aesthetics. There’s actually some environmental weather-related impacts that are helping too.”
An advisory committee meeting was held March 14 and Spence said they are going to work on the program now.
“We want to start having trees in the ground that are seasonal,” Spence said. “We’re working with Oklahoma Forestry Service so that we do get native trees that’ll do well in this area.”
He said they are looking at tree farms growing trees that are native to southeastern Oklahoma. DSC will be obtaining trees that are saplings and older.
“They’re going to have an opportunity to survive and they will be more drought tolerant as we go on and they age,” Spence said. “They’re made for southeast Oklahoma and you can’t go to a better source than the forestry service for what you should plant and so it’s really a great combination of those partnerships.
“Most of these have like a 3-7 year maturation process so within that first 1-3 years, it’s kind of like, let’s keep them alive. Three to seven years, they’re going to start maturing to where they will fruit or seed and then seven years and on, is where you really start getting that growth. That big growth. The trunks filling out, the leaves filling out. Making it through the seasons and then it’s a really hardy tree.”
There are also plans in place for tree maintenance and they are working with a local organization that will handle the watering.
“We also have another adoption program for business owners to where they can adopt the care of the tree and we’ll partner with Main Street to care for maintenance, upkeep and cleanliness,” Spence said. “There’s going to be teamwork effort there for business owners that want to step up and take ownership, but we have some organizations that are there to help, especially through those early years until they’re selfsustaining.”
Spence introduced Durant city manager Pam Polk during the announcement.
“I do just want to dote on her a little bit on how lucky we are to have had this individual come into our city and take us in a direction that I feel we are all championing behind,” Spence said.
Polk expressed excitement about the announcement.
“I’ll be here a year April 5,” Polk said. “That seems crazy to me that it’s almost been a year already and I love organizations like this. Main Street, chamber, Southeastern, Choctaw Nation. We have got so many partnerships that we are rebuilding and strengthening . I’m telling you, it all makes a difference. So, I have a calling everyday that tells me our story makes a difference. It’s in how we tell it, so I just want to thank all of you.
Luis Serpas, a manager with T-Mobile, said the company has invested into the community.
“We want to make sure that the community feels that and understands that we’re not here just to just get phones, have things like that,” Serpas said. “That’s not what we’re about. We’re here to be part of the community. We have local employees that this job has been life changing to them. This is why we want to continue to be here. We want to make sure that we keep being part of the influence. We want to make sure that we keep supporting.
The grant is great news to the Durant Main Street program.
“We are elated to support DSC in their efforts to secure the T-Mobile grant aimed at adding trees to our community,” said Stephanie Swicker, executive director of Durant Main Street. “This initiative is vital for enhancing our environment, promoting better health, and attracting tourism to our region. It’s heartwarming to see our community come together, highlighting the remarkable strides Durant has taken to enhance our town. We are excited about the positive impact this project will have on our residents and the lasting benefits it will bring.”
Through T-Mobile Hometown Grants, people in communities nationwide are kick starting projects that make a real difference and help their towns thrive, the company said. Across Oklahoma, T-Mobile has awarded more than $600,000 to 13 towns through the program.
T-Mobile teams up with Main Street America — a nonprofit organization that works to advance shared prosperity, create resilient economies and improve quality of life through placebased economic development and community preservation to bring Hometown Grants to life. Grant applications are reviewed based on their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations.
