Massive Tree-Planting Project In Fountain Hills, Arizona

The community's founding birthday is considered Dec. 15, 1970, when the famous ''World's Tallest Fountain'' was turned on for the first time at Fountain Park.

A massive tree-planting project is taking root in Fountain Hills as part of a long-term plan to entice visitors and investors to the community.

Up to 700 trees could be planted around the town's fountain and downtown district. The project could take 2 1/2 years and cost $365,000, financed mostly through donations.

''The ultimate goal is to stimulate future economic activity in our downtown,'' said Jerry Butler, a member of a business group supervising the project. ''If we can get people to come here and enjoy their time here, then better things and more things are going to happen.''

The shade trees would be scattered around 35-acre Fountain Park, the town's main recreational area, and adjacent business district near Saguaro and Palisades boulevards. Organizers visualize low-water-use plantings on vacant lots.

While Fountain Hills is relatively young as a community, it was developed on a site that is indeed rich in history. This region has a much storied past ranging from ancient Native Americans farming these lands to the creation of new communities. Arizona itself has only been a state since 1912, and the town's official date of incorporation is Dec. 5, 1989.

The project is one facet of a long-range vision created for downtown Fountain Hills by Swaback Partners, a Scottsdale architecture firm. The vision calls for an amphitheater and visitor center to revitalize downtown.

Butler proposed the idea of a public-private partnership to raise money for the trees. At a recent work-study session of the Town Council, he suggested the town invest in landscape-architect services that would cost $15,000.

The remaining cost - about $350,000 - would come from outside donations. The goal is to plant between 500 and 700 trees, depending on funds available.

The Fountain Hills Civic and Cultural Association would manage the fundraising. Overseeing the project is the Business Vitality Advisory Council, a group that operates under the aegis of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce.