QUEENS, N.Y. - A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held recently to mark the completion of the Queens Botanical Garden?EUR??,,????'???s new ornamental fence and gate. Initiated by the New York City Department of Design and Construction with Vollmer Associates serving as the designer, this $4 million project consisted of replacing the existing fence with an ornamental steel picket fence, stone-clad piers and the sculptural tree gate. The garden originated as a five-year horticultural display at the 1939 New York World?EUR??,,????'???s Fair. It was moved to its current location between Main Street and College Point Boulevard in Queens in the early 1960?EUR??,,????'???s, to make room for the 1964 World?EUR??,,????'???s Fair. The garden wanted a fence to secure what was on its 39 acre site and to build a distinguished image for itself and the surrounding community. The new, eight-foot high ornamental steel fence and its concrete curb replaced the old chain link fence and a partially collapsed steel fence. The ornamental fence bears a bronze medallion very third panel, depicting an image of a plant species that is native to Queens, and its found within the garden. Six different medallions were designed and are repeated throughout the perimeter. The finial of every other picket is the shape of a palmate leaf which further underscores the garden?EUR??,,????'???s botanical context. Sixty-six stone-clad piers with cast stone caps punctuate the fence every one hundred feet and further unify the boundary. The signature of these improvements is the surreal steel tree structure at the main gate, standing 20 feet high and 19 feet wide, which invites the visitors to walk under its branches and enter the garden. This sculptural tree was recently dedicated to the victims and heroes of Sept. 11, 2001 and to the power of hope, healing and community.