City Moves Ahead with Tree Removal

WAITSBURG – After weighing input from a handful of citizens who spoke at the May 18 Waitsburg City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to move forward with the planned removal of five large trees on W. 6th Street. The council also agreed to consider amending the current tree ordinance at an upcoming council meeting.

The trees were to be removed earlier this month, because they had caused extensive heaving to the existing sidewalk. Local homeowners have agreed to replace that sidewalk through the city’s sidewalk replacement program. The city had agreed to cover the cost of removal of the trees in preparation for laying new sidewalks.

A group of citizens stalled the removal by objecting to the fact that the city had not followed its own tree removal code, which requires the authorization of the Waitsburg Tree Committee to remove any trees on public property.

At last week’s meeting, Waitsburg Attorney Mike Hubbard said that an arborist’s report stated that three of the trees still had three to five years of life. “If they do have to come out why not take them out in December or January when they’re dormant?” he asked.

Hubbard asked the city to consider putting a citizen, rather than just council members, on the Tree Committee. He also suggested that the city look at alternatives to the sidewalk, such as replacing it with gravel. “You have an ordinance here that says trees are more important than sidewalks,” Hubbard said.

Council member KC Kuykendall responded that the arborists report stated that all five trees were sickly and should be removed and questioned the value of delaying the removal even until winter.

Resident Gail Gwinn said that there are at least two trees that are healthy enough to provide shade for that end of the street. “I don’t even understand why we need a sidewalk on that side of the street. Use that side of the street for shade and the side with the sidewalk for walking,” she said.

Gwinn said she lost a large tree on her property during the 7th Street renovation and also advocated for waiting until the 6th street trees were dormant to have them removed. “When our tree came out, it had just leafed out. There were squirrels everywhere, there were birds everywhere. It was just brutal to watch,” she said.

Gwinn said she understood the need to care for infrastructure, but that infrastructure also includes urban forests. “If we don’t take care of that, along with the rest of the infrastructure, we’re not going to be a one-of-a-kind town. We’re going to be like a suburb of Dallas. It’s not just about these six trees. It’s about the attitude that seems to be in town about trees in general,” she said.

Sixth street homeowner Carol Guay said her sidewalk is heavily used and that the trees are dangerous and a liability.

“I have five kids and two adults living next to me who use that sidewalk all the time. They’re kids. They’re not going to go to the other side of the road to use the sidewalk. It needs replaced or they’re going to get hurt. I’ve tripped myself, two houses down, and sprained my ankle. I don’t want the liability of someone spraining their ankle because the roots have come up over the sidewalk,” she said.

“All we have to do is read the final assessment from the arborist,” said Mayor Walt Gobel prior to asking for a final vote from the council. “He said, ‘most, if not all these trees are candidates for removal for various reasons’.” The council voted unanimously to move forward with the tree removal.

The council also agreed to consider modifying the tree ordinance to allow for the removal of trees that are an immediate safety hazard, such as those blown down during a storm, while still allowing for some level of oversight from a committee. Those revisions will be placed on an upcoming council agenda.