Dear 2UrbanGirls,
This is the 2nd tree in the last 5 years that just fell into the street, or across the street into a neighbor’s yard, on this block alone. And it’s the 3rd tree in the last about 15 to 20 years. That tree 15 to 20 years ago fell because the roots had pushed up the sidewalk and the city came out and incompetently cut those roots so they could re-cement the sidewalk, making the tree unstable. It soon after fell across the street.
The tree today ripped out the homeowner’s water main, but the tree before this, about 5 years ago, fell THE DAY OF OUR BLOCK PARTY, WHEN ONLY AN HOUR OR SO EARLIER A HUNDRED OR SO PEOPLE WERE WALKING BY OR SITTING NEARBY, with one resident reportedly injured by the fallen tree.
Remember, these trees are ON CITY PROPERTY, the area between the sidewalk and the street. James Butts brags about how many trees the city is trimming, but the city IS INCOMPETENTLY not checking the health of the roots OF THOSE SAME TREES, which are easy to assess when the grass is growing up the trees or the trees ARE ALREADY LEANING OVER THE STREET! I believe the City has a standing contract with an arborist.
District 1 resident
**Editor’s note**
Multiple trees in District 1, which is represented by Councilman George Dotson, also fell last month after the rain. The City routinely denies the claim once submitted by the homeowner.
