YS Village Manager Laura Curliss commented on the recent "In the News" Blog post "Word of local tree flap reaches Dayton":
The title of the article in the Dayton Daily News could well have been "Yellow Springs Plans Downtown Improvements Including More Trees, Improved Sidewalks and Streetlighting." The streetscape plan, developed with the assistance of a local landscape architect, will increase the number of trees in the downtown area from 15 to 20, will include burying of an overhead electric line and sewer improvements, will improve the sidewalks and street lighting, and will add much-needed bicycle parking to the downtown area. The Yellows Springs Tree Committee and other tree professionals in Yellow Springs concur that it is time to plant new trees, trees which will serve citizens and visitors for many years to come. The plan presented to Council includes design features that are more "tree friendly" than what we have now -- larger tree cut-outs, permeable pavers, better placement relative to parking space stripping, burying the electric line to allow uninhibited upward growth. Council is very "pro-tree" and this plan shows their commitment to more trees, healthier trees in the downtown.
Laura Curliss, Village Manager, Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio
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8 comments:
"stripping" ???
I surely hope that one was a mistake by someone other than the Manager!
In a town with a reputation and self-image as a place where people respect the natural environment and demand it be protected, it's discouraging and puzzling to hear so many people dismissing and even ridiculing the warnings from local environmental experts about the invasive nature of the pear trees. They are a real threat to the Glen and other nearby natural areas. One would expect Yellow Springs to be the last place where such concerns would be laughed off.
Stop lying,nobody has laughed it off.
I can't say I have heard anyone laughing it off, but many wonder why the glen has never shared this concern with the public before and a public awareness program instituted. We have bradford pears all over the village, so a few on the main street are not going to make much difference to the larger problem for our Glen. I hope the Glen can share with the public how much of a concern it is, some images, statistics, how it impacts the glen etc.
This is a town that wants clean, safe drinking water. Is there any movement by the village manager to upgrade the water treatment plant?
I very much appreciate the approach and forward thinking that the Village Manager and village council are taking with this project. In my mine the Bradford pears have to come out because of their invasive and distractive nature in this environment. It is clear to me that when the sidewalks are repaired, the electric lines are put under ground and new bike racks are installed, that the trees need to be removed and replaced.
Perhaps a more inclusive approached to this would have been better, but at the same time I understand that the timing of this project is important and it must be done before the weather turns.
Where is the money coming from?
Kathy Buck
The pear tree issue has only recently become obvious. Just drive along 675 and you can see several 3 year old pear trees popping up all over the place. These trees were suppose to be sterile and proved anything but. Five River Metro Parks removed their pear trees from Cox Arboretum in the last 18 months.
I hate to see such beautiful trees go. They bloom so gorgeously. But there is an old Chinese Proverb: The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
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