Saturday, August 3, 2019

Update on Palmetto Bay's tree fiasco - not so good, trees uprooted and left by the side of the road

This is not a happy update. You can observe the entire thread on the Village of Palmetto Bay For Real Facebook group page. I say its time for Palmetto Bay to get back to acting like a Tree City USA and properly plant the right tree in the right place.
Paid for by our tax dollars

This is not a way to treat a tree, regardless of who paid for it. I have not gone to check, but I hope that the reports are exaggerated.  I'm told that a total of seven (7) trees are currently down (as of 8:00 AM, Saturday, 8/03/2019) and laying along side the roadway.

Reports posted on the Village of Palmetto Bay for Real site were that the trees planted in positions obscuring stop signs were pulled out and left by the side of the road.  One report speculated that it was village employees.  Not sure. I would think that Village employees would have loaded the trees in trucks and set them for preservation and replanting in a suitable location.


My questions:  


  • Was this self-help by local Village residents upset with the lack of communication by the village and what they see as risk to the safety of the neighborhood? 
  • Who is responsible for the original in-artful and dangerous planting locations?
  • Are these trees now damaged and not able to be replanted? 
  • Will these trees be salvaged and replanted or will they be tossed out or stolen by passers-by who may justifiably believe that these pulled trees are free to the taking (and rehabbed by someone who actually cares).
  • Who is paying for this mess (the taxpayers)?
  • Who is going to get this mess straightened out?

See the PRIOR RELATED POST from the day prior, Friday, August 2, 2019: See an issue? Report it. Allow the Village to address the issue before there is an accident – where it is discussed that a fellow resident noticed that this newly planted tree is causing a safety issue, putting people at risk of injuries from a driver now having the view of the stop sign obscured. The concern is that the tree (and the support stakes) block the stop sign and creates a traffic hazard. 


As I stated, I am proud that Palmetto Bay became a Tree City USA community under my terms as Mayor due to our long history of area beautification. But this program should, and can, continue without putting public safety at risk. I am not proud of this current handling of the tree plantings.

[Photos above reveal condition of 7 trees formerly in the ground along Franjo]

Seriously, what is going on here lately in the village? There is plenty of information passed on regarding special events and tax free weekends, but the information seems sparse and guarded about the important issues relating to taxes and major capital projects.

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