I’d like to express my concerns on the “pruning” of the trees on the east side of Riverside Park. I live across from the park and am appalled at the butchering of the pine trees around the playground area. I know there’s nothing that can be done about it now, but I would like to possibly save the look of the remaining parks within our city. The article in Fridays Tribune quotes the city’s manager of parklands and greenway on his “reasons” for the so called pruning but I do not find one legitament one in the bunch. The citys’ mowers do not need to pass under the trees because very little, if any, grass grows under the evergreens because of the high acid in the needles that fall to the ground. And even if they did need to pass under them I’m sure it’s not necessary to cut the branches up 10 to 12 feet high as some have been. The article in the Tribune shows a worker holding the chain saw about 2′ off the ground and it is written that the pruning “see’s a few feet of branches and underbrush cut out from under the trees”. Bull caca!!! Have you seen these trees? They have all had the lower branches cut off up to a minimum of 7 to 8 feet.And whats with the implication that the police and we as a community need a clear sight line to keep an eye on our community. There’s nothing over there to keep an eye on. It backs against a river, not businesses or residential properties. I’ve lived here for 8 years and the people I see loitering in the park are doing no more than sunbathing or enjoying a picnic with their families. On the few occasions that I’ve seen anyone in the playground area at nights, they are sitting on the swings, a park bench or picnic table. They have not been hiding in the trees (or maybe they were and I just didn’t see them). I have not read or heard of one instance that someone has been threated or accosted in the playground area, or anywhere in the park on this side of the river. Is there not another park in another part of the city that has seen it’s share of vandalism or violence that should have been addressed before ours? What does staff think is going on in the park that the police need a clear line of sight with the brush gone. And how tall does he think these “fugitives” are that they need 8′ high of a clearing so the police can see them escaping justice through the park. I know if I was being chased by a police officer I sure as hell wouldn’t be hiding behind some tree branches or climbing a tree in an open park. I’d be across the road running through back yards, jumping fences and hiding behind cars and tool sheds. And what are you thinking? “The desires of the citizens versus the needs of security and safety have to be weighed”. You sound like President Bush. Have you heard of problems in the park regarding our safety? I have on occasion seen a police cruiser drive through the park at night with their search lights on, but I’m sure there are far more dangerous and potential hiding places for the criminals than in the trees.
It also appears to me that the workers doing the cutting have had very little if any experience or direction in the pruning of the trees. My understanding is that it’s usually the outer area of the branches that get cut back and any overgrowth or dead branches underneath the tree that gets trimmed off. not every branch within arms reach. If you as a homeowner asked a landscaping company to come in and prune your trees and shrubs and ended up with a job as the city has done to the park, would you be a satisfied customer? Or would there be a lawsuit over the replacement of your trees. I know what would happen if it had been my property. When you’re talking to staff at the meeting ask them how they would feel. It looks like it was more of a make-work program, keeping the snow removal men busy during the warm spell, and they didn’t have enough sense to move from the area once they had initially trimmed the lower branches. Apparently they came back on a few occasions and kept hacking away, and it appears it wasn’t until they couldn’t reach any higher that they stopped. There is not too much natural about it now. It looks like a bunch of bushes grafted to some sticks. Not unlike what you see planted in the sidewalk, in front of some building, in any downtown in any city.
And finally, how exactly has staff gone out of their way to address citizen concerns? Stopping the cutting isn’t “going out of their way”. It’s just stopping. Setting up a meeting doesn’t sound like a huge challenge, and if it was, why not just stop the lumberjacking until the next city council meeting? I’m sure there are lots of other trees in Guelph (possibly termite infested) that could be cut down to fill time sheets. I do not fault the city workers because I myself have been instructed to do things by past employers that I felt were wrong or unjustified. I feel the responsiblity for this falls upon upper management and this wards councillors.
I have voiced my concern as a citizen of the city and really expect nothing to change. I’m sure there will be a lot more trees hacked up in surrounding parks, but I wanted you to know how I felt and that it’s too bad that even with all the talk about making our city greener and enviromentally friendlier it still means nothing really. It’s just words. TC