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Islands Tree Advocates Hijack Public Meeting
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 - 06:18 PM
Photo By: WSAV
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Island Neighbors could barely contain their anger as Chatham County staff tried to justify the removal of old oak trees along Johnny Mercer Road.
A few dozen neighbors usurped a meeting called by Chatham County Commissioner Pat Farrell Tuesday night. They threw out the agenda that was to focus on positive accomplishments like new bike paths and a new boat ramp. Instead, neighbors had just one issue on their minds, the loss of old growth trees to commercial development along Johnny Mercer.
The overflow crowd at the Islands Police precinct along Johnny Mercer sat patiently through presentations from Candidate for District Attorney David Locke and Precinct Commander Capt. Larry Branson but began to stir as County Engineer Al. Bungard came to the fore.
Bungard attempted to justify the loss of trees, saying his office must apply safety standards and remove trees if necessary in order to allow traffic for the rezoned commercial developments.
Neighbors interrupted Bungard with questions about the necessity for such extreme action considering that other commercial property coexists quite safely with tree-lined streets and the overhead canopy they provide.
They scoffed and laughed at several of his attempts to explain the process to the point that County Manager Russ Abolt took over and attempted to turn the neighbors' attention away from the lost trees to the positive things the government is doing.
He pointed to a stand of skinny pines just outside the meeting room window as proof that they are dedicated to leaving a buffer between the road and construction. Neighbors were unimpressed calling them “scrub pine” and saying they are no replacement for an 80-year-old oak tree.
Instead of reassuring the neighbors that future development would protect the trees, he told them to expect more trees to come out and few will be replanted.
WSAV Community Reporter Paul Rea’s been digging into the tree issue and found the problem began long before the chainsaws came out. Watch the attached video to see his report and his attempt to question the County Manager about it.
A few dozen neighbors usurped a meeting called by Chatham County Commissioner Pat Farrell Tuesday night. They threw out the agenda that was to focus on positive accomplishments like new bike paths and a new boat ramp. Instead, neighbors had just one issue on their minds, the loss of old growth trees to commercial development along Johnny Mercer.
The overflow crowd at the Islands Police precinct along Johnny Mercer sat patiently through presentations from Candidate for District Attorney David Locke and Precinct Commander Capt. Larry Branson but began to stir as County Engineer Al. Bungard came to the fore.
Bungard attempted to justify the loss of trees, saying his office must apply safety standards and remove trees if necessary in order to allow traffic for the rezoned commercial developments.
Neighbors interrupted Bungard with questions about the necessity for such extreme action considering that other commercial property coexists quite safely with tree-lined streets and the overhead canopy they provide.
They scoffed and laughed at several of his attempts to explain the process to the point that County Manager Russ Abolt took over and attempted to turn the neighbors' attention away from the lost trees to the positive things the government is doing.
He pointed to a stand of skinny pines just outside the meeting room window as proof that they are dedicated to leaving a buffer between the road and construction. Neighbors were unimpressed calling them “scrub pine” and saying they are no replacement for an 80-year-old oak tree.
Instead of reassuring the neighbors that future development would protect the trees, he told them to expect more trees to come out and few will be replanted.
WSAV Community Reporter Paul Rea’s been digging into the tree issue and found the problem began long before the chainsaws came out. Watch the attached video to see his report and his attempt to question the County Manager about it.