A hastily launched online petition drive is triggering a community outcry over a suggested possibility that iconic Chinese Pistache trees along School Street may fall as part of a larger downtown improvement project to overhaul sidewalks and shore up aging underground infrastructure.
About 2,300 people have signed the petition as of Friday, according to Change.org, the online site.
“The City of Ukiah is planning an 'improvement' project that will mean the removal of beloved trees along School Street,” proclaims the petition drive that was launched by Dennis O’Brien, a local resident.
O’Brien responded late Friday to requests for comments on a petition drive that is alarming local residents. (See below.)
The fear is that the city is prepared to remove six-decade old trees that have provided downtown shade on sizzling summer days, and colorful Fall displays.
City representatives, however, say the petition drive is premature.
Assistant City Manager Shannon Riley said Friday there is no immediate plan to cut down the 60-year-old trees, and there is no funding yet available to implement any downtown improvement project that might call for the trees to be replaced with a more compatible variety.
At issue is despite their beauty and the welcome shade they provide during hot Ukiah summers, the existing Chinese Pistache trees have roots wrapped around city water lines, are threatening the foundations of aging downtown buildings, and are causing downtown sidewalks to buckle.
“Is tree replacement one of the options being evaluated? Of course,” said Riley.
Riley acknowledged that replacing the Pistache trees with a more adaptable variety is among the options being considered in the year-long planning study surrounding a future downtown improvement project. The work, if state funding is secured, would also include replacement of aging sidewalks, water and sewer lines, possible parking changes, and conversion of a portion of School Street into one-way traffic.
“We received a grant to do planning studies. Nothing further has been submitted, and there is not at this time any money available to begin a project,” said Riley.
Riley said two community meetings have already been held, and a third and final one scheduled for December.
“This project has been very widely publicized and has been going on for a year. There have been two public workshops, walking tours with engineers and other experts, interviews with business owners and other stakeholders, a project webpage, an interactive online tool for people to submit their likes/dislikes/ideas/comments, a survey, and more. We plan to have one more workshop in December,” said Riley.
Riley said the brouhaha created by the online petition drive is unfounded but understandable.
“We have overwhelmingly heard that our community loves School Street and doesn't consider it ‘broken.’ We get that,” said Riley.
Riley, however, stressed that “If we don't invest in infrastructure upgrades that will allow us to preserve and enhance the things we love about it, it will start to fail.”
Riley listed a litany of city, downtown business, and shopper concerns:
- Currently, it's nearly impossible to make the sidewalks level.
- The underground utilities are being destroyed by tree roots, impacting businesses.
- Some buildings have even been structurally impacted, with doors that won't open correctly and other issues.
The city’s ongoing study, preliminary to securing possible state grants, is an “opportunity for us to gather all the feedback about the things we love, gather all the ideas about how it could be improved, study all the ways to make that happen, and seek funding that allows it to become a reality,” according to Riley.
Riley said, “Nothing has been done in a bubble and there are no preconceived outcomes here.”
Local resident Cassie Taaning said when she learned of the possibility of the existing trees being removed, she too was upset.
In a subsequent online post to the community, Taaning took issue with the petition drive.
“I also loved the Autumn colors and was upset when I first heard about their removal,’ said Taaning.
Since, however, she has learned key facts surrounding the issue.
“The trees were planted 60 years ago, and they live about 150 years. The species is way too big for sidewalk urban use. They keep growing into the buildings so they have to be trimmed regularly,” wrote Taaning.
Also, Taaning said she learned that as the trees mature, their roots keep “pushing up the sidewalk making it dangerous especially for elders.”
Taaning said, “In my opinion sidewalks need to be fixed and the trees replaced with a species that has beautiful Autumn foliage. Pistache isn’t the only tree with this color.”
Taaning said there is no doubt city officials should do their due diligence with community meetings before implementing what they already plan to do, which may be making School Street one way, and widening sidewalks with landscaping like the recently revamped State Street.
“Beneficial, long-term planning is a thing. Not so much 60 years ago. Live and learn,” Taaning concluded.
Riley said replacing the existing trees is among the options being studied, including the possibility of a new variety planted to get established before removal of the old.
“This project has been very widely publicized and has been going on for nearly a year. There have been two public workshops, walking tours with engineers and other experts, interviews with business owners and other stakeholders, a project webpage, an interactive online tool for people to submit their likes/dislikes/ideas/comments, a survey, and more,” according to Taaning.
Riley said, “Every tree has a lifespan, and the Downtown Streetscape has shown us that trees planted in ideal environments—with larger tree wells, irrigation, engineered soil that prevents root spread, and smart planning—can thrive without destroying their surroundings.”
Riley noted that newly planted trees in the larger downtown core are “only three years old, and some are already taller than the buildings!”
Another session for public input is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Ukiah Conference Center.
O'Brien’s Response:
Thank you for your interest and outreach. Below is a link to the City's webpage for the project. The final round of public engagement is set for December, with final adoption December-February. Although there was a survey for the public earlier, it is now closed. Apparently there are a lot of people who were not aware of the project then, but are expressing their concerns now that they have heard of it.
As you noted in your email, "An arborist is to be consulted about whether any downtown improvement project can work around existing trees and their extensive root systems." This probably should have been done months ago at the beginning of the project; it is good to hear it is being done before the final public engagement.
As with any such project, there will probably be a balancing of people's concerns. The Goals listed on the City's webpage are laudable. But School Street is already the centerpiece of Ukiah's business, social, and cultural life, and the trees are a big part of that.
Even tonight, the street was full of families celebrating Halloween, surrounded by the fall colors of Nature, celebrating the change of seasons. The purpose of the petition is to make sure that the decision-makers are aware of how widespread and strong the support is for saving the trees.
Even though your sources state that “no plan has been adopted yet or is ready to be implemented” and “there has been no grant money to secure any plan,” it appears that time is running out for the public to express their concerns. In just one week, 2,375 people have signed the petition, more that the votes garnered by the first-place candidate in last year's City Council election. 65% of the signers are from the 95482 zip code; most of the rest are from nearby Mendocino County. This is both a local and regional concern.
Should any of your readers be interested, they can sign the petition by going to https://c.org/5KfY7wjf86. Thank you again for helping to inform the public of this important and timely matter.
Sincerely,
Dennis O'Brien, Resident
City of Ukiah
Mark Scaramella adds: Mr. Geniella quotes Ms. Taaning saying that “Beneficial, long-term planning is a thing. Not so much 60 years ago. Live and learn.” This is belied by what Ukiah looked like 60 years ago and what it looks like today. We’ll take the old planning over the new planning any day.
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