"SACRIFICED in favor of CONCRETE," reads a makeshift memorial set up by the remains of one chopped tree.
City contractors have already removed at least six trees from Congress Park to make way for walkway connections to the playground. While the changes will bring obvious benefits to anyone with accessibility issues — while also doubling the size of the play area, according to project manager Chris Schooler — some neighbors are still mourning the loss.
"I think what happened with the trees is awful," says Victoria Eppler, president of Congress Park Neighbors, a registered neighborhood organization for the area surrounding the park.
The makeshift memorial that popped up recently includes a bouquet of flowers and a photo of one of the slain trees.
According to a city contractor, four of the six trees that were removed were healthy, and at least one was a "very big" elm tree. The others were a medium-large locust tree, two medium-sized locust trees and a 35-foot-tall spruce that was declining in health.
Schooler says that he posted a flier on the large elm tree notifying people of the impending removal. "I got half a dozen emails and phone calls asking why we were doing that," he recalls.
The pushback prompted him to call City Forester Mike Swanson, who checked out the tree and determined that the root damage the playground construction would cause — combined with the age of the tree and the fact that a major section of it had already been cut out at some point — made its removal the right call, Schooler says.
According to Swanson, he and the forestry department "are working with DOTI now to try to find a way to work around [trees for] future sidewalk projects."
Eppler visited the playground area with Parks & Recreation Deputy Executive Director Scott Gilmore and was aware of the need for new sidewalks but says that "I would hope that they could site the sidewalks in such a way as to preserve the historic trees, but I have no control over that."
Schooler has heard this plenty of times before, and says that people often ask, "Couldn't you just curve" the sidewalk? He typically tells them, "Well, yes. But then you start impacting other trees."
In the area that will go under construction, Schooler has counted somewhere between sixty and seventy trees. While some of those may be impacted by construction — with possible damage to tree roots as a result of digging — the current plan is to work around the trees as much as possible. "It's not like we're just taking the trees out without any thought or recourse," he says.
To make up for the lost trees, sixteen new trees will be planted near the renovated playground. According to Parks & Rec spokesperson Cyndi Karvaski, the new species will include Bur Oak, Western Catalpa, Chinkapin Oak, Royal Raindrops Crabapple, Ginko, Shadblow Serviceberry and Swamp White Oak.
"The trunks of the trees that were taken down will be recycled," Karvaski says, noting that some of their wood chips will be "used in the new playgrounds.:
The construction at Congress Park is part of the Congress Park Playground and Walk Improvements project, which aims to give the area a proper facelift.
"The project will build on community input to redesign and expand the existing playground to meet play, safety, and accessibility needs," reads the project description. "The project will complement the improvements made at the adjacent pool and also address the need for improved sidewalk connections throughout the park internally and on the perimeter."
Schooler notes that the current playground is "undersized for the area" and not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. "With this project, we're hoping to get that park completely up to code," he says.
The construction will also bring a sidewalk to the park along East Eighth Avenue. "There's never been a sidewalk there," Gilmore notes, "and we need a sidewalk, so we've been working with [DOTI] on that."
Eppler visited the playground area with Parks & Recreation Deputy Executive Director Scott Gilmore and was aware of the need for new sidewalks but says that "I would hope that they could site the sidewalks in such a way as to preserve the historic trees, but I have no control over that."
Schooler has heard this plenty of times before, and says that people often ask, "Couldn't you just curve" the sidewalk? He typically tells them, "Well, yes. But then you start impacting other trees."
In the area that will go under construction, Schooler has counted somewhere between sixty and seventy trees. While some of those may be impacted by construction — with possible damage to tree roots as a result of digging — the current plan is to work around the trees as much as possible. "It's not like we're just taking the trees out without any thought or recourse," he says.
To make up for the lost trees, sixteen new trees will be planted near the renovated playground. According to Parks & Rec spokesperson Cyndi Karvaski, the new species will include Bur Oak, Western Catalpa, Chinkapin Oak, Royal Raindrops Crabapple, Ginko, Shadblow Serviceberry and Swamp White Oak.
"The trunks of the trees that were taken down will be recycled," Karvaski says, noting that some of their wood chips will be "used in the new playgrounds.:
The construction at Congress Park is part of the Congress Park Playground and Walk Improvements project, which aims to give the area a proper facelift.
"The project will build on community input to redesign and expand the existing playground to meet play, safety, and accessibility needs," reads the project description. "The project will complement the improvements made at the adjacent pool and also address the need for improved sidewalk connections throughout the park internally and on the perimeter."
Schooler notes that the current playground is "undersized for the area" and not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. "With this project, we're hoping to get that park completely up to code," he says.
The construction will also bring a sidewalk to the park along East Eighth Avenue. "There's never been a sidewalk there," Gilmore notes, "and we need a sidewalk, so we've been working with [DOTI] on that."
Construction for the project is set to begin this fall and wrap up next summer.
