Dear Editor,
A huge
”
Bravo!
”
for Tammy Dickson’s April 5
”
street-tree revolt
”
letter concerning parkway trees! (The
”
parkway
”
is the city-controlled strip between the street and the
sidewalk.)
Dear Editor,
A huge “Bravo!” for Tammy Dickson’s April 5 “street-tree revolt” letter concerning parkway trees! (The “parkway” is the city-controlled strip between the street and the sidewalk.)
Seven years ago, I got fed up, coned off the street and cut down the ball-dropping nuisances myself (and I made sure to do it on Earth Day, but that’s another issue), planting Turkish Bay trees in their stead. These are evergreen, great for cooking and don’t scatter one-inch balls like the city-sponsored sugar maple. I put plastic and watering pipes to make the roots grow down so as to not thrash the sidewalk in the future.
Then, I found out that I was supposed to get permission to do this – on my own property yet! I wonder if former city “services” guru Bob Connelly, now retired, remembers my letter to the city addressing this? After a few threats (fines, jail, violent resistance, etc.) were exchanged from both sides, they gave me permission to do what I had already done, and it worked out in the end. But it took a verbal revolt to get it through.
Since it takes civil disobedience (and an occasional threat) to get the attention of today’s worthless public “servants”, maybe it’s time for a revolt with some substance. May everyone pick one day to fell their city-planted nuisances and leave them in the streets.
Alan Viarengo, Gilroy
