Leetsdale community event results in 24 new trees planted in the borough

Leetsdale officials and Quaker Valley area community members partnered with an environmental nonprofit to plant 24 trees in the borough.

Numerous residential sites and sites and Kohlmeyer Park are a little greener thanks to the efforts of more than 60 people on March 23.

The event was in partnership with TreeVitalize and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Volunteers included several council members, a Girl Scout troop from Quaker Valley Middle School, key club members from the high school and folks from the Sathya Sai Center of Pittsburgh, as well as state officials.

“I love it because the community’s coming together better than I’ve ever seen,” council vice president Osman Awad said.

Participants met at the VFW for some refreshments and supplies. Conservancy officials gave tips on how to plant trees properly.

The tree planted in the park was dedicated in memory of Leetsdale native Walter P. “Buddy” Kretzler III, son of Walter and Henrietta Kretzler and brother of Susan Kretzler-Falcone.

Kretzler III and his wife, Roxanne, died Feb. 18 in a crash near the intersection of Infantry Drive and Black Road in Joliet, Ill. He was 65. She was 59.

A 1976 Quaker Valley graduate, Kretzler III attended Grove City College and earned a degree in metallurgical engineering in 1981. He was inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 as a star athlete in football and track.

Council president Maria Napolitano presented a plaque to Henrietta Kretzler as part of the dedication.

Other friends and family members also took part in the event.

“Everything went very well,” Napolitano said. “We had over 60 volunteers attending. … We met in VFW community room for light breakfast and intros, and then proceeded to planting sites.

“The whole Kretzler family are lifelong community volunteers in Leetsdale. The plaque was placed at the foot of one of the new trees and will be permanently affixed there.”