'Friends of Kevin Quaranta' to Plant Memorial Tree

The town board this week approved the planting of a tree on the town house property to honor the memory of Kevin Quaranta, who died in July after a six-year battle with melanoma. 

The tree will be installed at the end of October, prior to the end of the planting season, however, a dedication would not be held until later in the year to allow time for a commemorative plaque to be created and for Quaranta's children who are attending school to gather together for a ceremony.

Chris Burdick, a member of the Bedford Village Lions Club and a town board member, said the tree would be paid for by donors from the Lions and other individuals who knew Quaranta from his many activities in Bedford, including the Lions, Bedford-Pound Ridge Little League baseball and St. Patrick’s Church.

He also said the group would defer to the town's tree advisory board on both the location and the type of tree. It would be planted by town personnel during regular work hours and would not incur overtime costs, he added.

"We discussed the location and one that might be ideal is off the semi-circle in front of the town house, as are headed toward Mt. Kisco. There is a need to replace a dead tree that needs to be removed for safety. This would be a prominent space and one that meets a need for the town in replacing that tree," he said.

Supervisor Lee Roberts raised the issue of maintaining a consist style in both the size and wording on the plaque, recalling a similar planting and dedication held for Pete Haskell, a longtime Bedford resident who died in November 2011, and noting the likelihood of future ceremonies to be planned. 

Burdick said the wording of the plaque would be non-political and the size would not exceed 6 x 8 inches. George Fernandez, Lions Club president, who was present at the meeting, said they had a similar size for Haskell's plaque and at the time, had sought the advice of the historical board in determining the size. He agreed that it might be a good idea to establish guidelines moving forward. 

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