Needing the facts!

I have to say that upon hearing about the vote at the last council meeting, I couldn't believe that a vote could pass for the TOTAL removal of the tree line in front of Beechwood Road/Orchid Place. Prehaps someone could explain to me where you found someone willing to do this removal and ''re-landscape'' for the sum of 20,000.00+ dollars. Does that include new trees in place of the ones that took fifty plus years to grow there. What about stump removal? Will there be a new fence line behind the landscaping to replace the various types of fencing that already exist? I also noticed that there are three or four houses in the Orchid Place subdivision that are currently for sale. How is this plowing down of the trees and replanting of low-grade landscaping going to affect their resale value and the value of those on Beechwood Road? It seems to me that the Mayor and Council have a lot of questions to answer that should have been thought through before a vote even took place. It also occurs to me that the residents of W.P. should have been informed on these issues, especially when so much of our budget is being spent. Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there a special meeting called when the city decided to purchase a vacant house in the neighborhood and transform it into a city hall? My point is this: I feel that as our elected officals we have entrusted in you council and Mayor to be straight forward and honest in rational decisions with the input of the community. Whith that said, when I look at the web site and see only a mention of ''Tree Trimming and Cleanup,'' I trust it as being just that. There was never a mention of TOTAL removal in the minutes of the last meeting or as far as I can tell, in any of the past months' minutes. I agree with the previous post that there was indeed a ''Sneek in Vote''. I would think that anyone with genuine interest and concern for our township would want to inform the residents of such a drastic measure and would welcome the input of the community. I think that this issue definitely should be revisited with the support of our communtiy at the next council meeting and would encourage anyone concerned to do the same.

I agree

Living in a neighborhood with mature trees is important to me as well. It is a shame that the mayor and council have no respect for God's landscape. Like others, I am distressed regarding the way our city officials deal with issues and concerns that do not align with their collective thoughts. It's especially true in Woodlawn Park, the residents can't fight city hall.

Still lacking evidence....

The Mayor responded to the post on the top of the discussion board and here is my reply:

I appreciate the Mayor posting a reply to the concerns, however, I am still not convinced that the vote for tree removal was made with enough evidence and information needed to make an informed, impartial, and independent decision. I have a copy of the ''overview packet'' and I hardly qualify it an ''overview'' secondary to the lack of information that it provided. Four pages were included in this overview: 1. a distant, grainy, black and white ariel photo of Beechwood Road pre-Orchid Place, 2. a distant, grainy ariel photo of Beechwood Road currently (I'm not sure what the two ariel photos were to inform or educate residents of anyway), 3. a four-bar bar graph with general monetary estimates for four improvement or ''maintenance'' options (total mass removal is hardly what I would refer to as maintenance), and 4. a sparse conceptual drawing of Beechwood Road with new trees and berms. This sketch definitely did not help me visualize what post-mass tree removal would look like. There were no specifics on proposed tree replacements, a uniform privacy fence, plans for the berms, etc. I would expect that an ''overview packet'' would include written estimates of all companies consulted, written documentation from all three arborists supporting the condition of the trees
(including healthy and distressed) and a comprehensive finish design plan. How can you vote to remove all of the trees when you don't have a comprehensive sketch of what the finished product would look like. This is pertinent information needed to make an informed decision. And again, I can't believe a decision of this magnitude was made without all the facts presented. I understand, and as supported in the council meeting minutes, that the concern and complaints that the council has received has come from one of it's own concil members. I have concerns for safety myself but am confident that there are several other options and avenues that are not so extreme and those options should still be considered. Respectfully, Elizabeth Robinson