MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Seasons may be changing and leaves might be falling, but that doesn't stop Meridian Township from adding more bright leaves around the Township.

Meridian's Municipal Building, located at 5151 Marsh, received a facelift in the form of 20 new trees planted around the surrounding area. The trees came at no cost to the Township, thanks to a grant from the ITC Corporation filed in late 2013. Their energy business involves laying power wires, and some poorly placed foliage can be torn down in their process.

Township soil is the proud spot for 20 new bradford pears, sycamores, and red sunset maple trees. Rick Brown, Associate Planner for Meridian Township, sees the trees as a much needed upgrade the the buildings' grounds.

"A lot of places they're being put are places where trees have been lost in the past to things like disease or storm, or whatever reason to fill in gaps and add a little bit more of a canopy around the township hall," Brown said.

The Meridian Township Police Department and the Meridian Historical Village are other places where the grant trees find new homes. The cold Michigan weather is coming in the next months, but the new trees were chosen to specifically survive rough weather, including salt from the road trucks. If any don't survive the winter, Brown says the ITC will help in their replacement.

"They have a one-year guarantee, so if any of them don't make it for whatever reason, the firm will replace those that don't survive."

The trees stand at about 8-10 feet tall and will be staked off for their first year on the property to help combat wind and other elements. Brown believes it'll add "a nice amenity to the Township and Municipal Building."