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Home My WebLink About34-Public Services "~~~....:.-.. , "-- ,;0 ,......, v :> f' \, 1;,t4 & November 21, 1985 ~ "Eer"" . " . ~ . \, -., ~,::i. Clerk .-!~ ~,r" "J '~'-" i..L of San Bernardino, Califo:ttfia' t9 :~O According to a memorandum from l-lanuel P. t';oreno, Director of Public Services, dated October 28, 1985, Cal-~rans and the Mayor's ~raffic Safety Committee have requested the removal of the first tree "located at the southeast corner of 34th and ";;;,, Street. Hr. Moreno writes that he found the tree to create a sight problem for west bound traffic stopping on 34th Street. He did not give the reason why Cal-Trans requested the removal but the assumption would be that their request is for the same reason. It would be appropriate to see Gal-Trans request in writing so that the reason for removal could be docut"Jented. The tree in question, a pepper tree, is not the first tree but the fourth (4th) tree from the corner. The first three are young crepe myrtle. The pepper tree is approximately sixty feet (60 ft) from the corner. It is located south at the end of the red curbing of the bus stop so that it is a considerable distance from the intersection. A car stopping at the first line of the crosswalk on 34th Street has clear vision south on "~,, Street across the lawns of the houses. In fact, a tree planted "further east on the owner's property line" as Nr. I.loreno recommends, would constitute a sight block. The tree does not block the view of the north bound traffic on If ~II Street. ~hat does block the view is the bus when it has stopped at that corner. ,ihat does block the vie\< are cars parked on the east curb on "E" Stre~t south of the red curb of the bus stop. It would seem to be a good idea to extend the red no parking zone farther south on "E" to give cars entering that intersection a 10nL~ clear view of north-bound traffic. If trees constitute a visual hazard there, why were three (3) trees recently planted betl-:een the pepper tree and the corner of 34th a.nd "E"? The ?ublic Services Street Section had to plant them vnd at that time, not consider them a visual hazard. 'fhese three trees are young crepe myrtle and are considerably sm"ller than the mature pepper tree. Pepper tree branches can hang low but the:, c.~n be trLiined c.nd the sucker I;rol..th kept cut. ';:'he present ol.mer of the property nnd the prospective ne" owner both agree to 'loluntee= to '''oIl' clip nnd ?rune regul:orly '~h.; low han[';ing branches and suckers. ':'he :nemorp_ndum from Zr. Lorena recoffimendis tha.t the p~pper tree in question be repl:)c~(} by l1a cornp?ti;;lell tree to be located "further east on the o\'/ner's pro:.erty line to a'loid crc~ting a future traffic hazard". It is difficult to see ho\. "movinG east" "ould be possible. That direction "ould be nearer the sidew01k in the curb strip grass. That strip of gra~s between the curb and the sidewalk is approximately six and one-half feet (6/l ft.) 11uch closer to the sidewalk, east, Nould probably dams$e the sidewalk. It is diflicult to see how cutting down one tree and plantinc; another is going to improve the visu21 siGhting. There will still be four trees to look through. At present c:3y _ ,J.. - .. 2. be sight line from the ~PPing point at~he cross walk Is south of the pepper tree. Putting in another tree at "east" or even south is only e;oing to make the view down worse. ~ on 34th Street a new location "t;" Street even There may be no revlnnting any~ay beccuse the Notification of Tree ~emova~ contains this paragraph: "'i'here is presently a moratorium on replanting trees in the City of Zan Bernardino. It is with the understanding the tree(s) will be removed by City forces but not replaced". At another location - "G" Street, 600 block, trees were removed in spite of protest and after a promise to replace them. They were never replaced. This pepper tree threatened with removal is a very beautiful, healthy tree. It is quite sturdy and mature. It has a large trunk but it doesn't endanger either the curb or the sidewalk, and is not likely to grow any bigger around. Indeed it is mature and stately, providing a buffer and shield from the traffic and noise of liB" Street. It is >londerfully compatible with the sixty-year_old cement and stone house it stands before. The house and tree are of matching spirit; indeed, both are a part of the cultural heritage of San Bernardino. It serves also, as shade and shelter for the bus stop. One can grow quite fond of sharing existence with such a living entity as this tree, a pepper tree which is so much a symbol of sunny California. Even though this tree is not diseased, there is a poem that well expresses the trauma caused by the removal of a tree, an act that turned out to be a mistake. l'he poem is called "Learning By Doing". Learning By Doing "c0nstructive technological destructiveness" --Marcuse, Eros and Civilization They're taking down a tree at the front door, The power saw is snarling at some nerves. ",Jhinil113 at others. HO~i [;lnd then it grunts, And sawdust falls like snow or a drift of seeds. Rotte_, they tell us, at the fork, and one Big wind would brinS it down. So what they do rhey do, as usual, .to do us ~ood. ~.Ihatever cnnnot crlrry its Own ~1eight Has got to GO, Dnd so on; you expect To hear them talking' next about survival rtnd the values of a free society. On these occasions there is generally some I-Iean-spirited moral point, and everyone Privately \landers if his neighbors plan To saw him up before he falls on them. A.... 7- J. o o :) Maybe a hundred years in sun and shower Dismantled in a morning and let down Out of itself a finger at a time And then an arm, Dnd so on down to the trunk, Until there's nothing left to hold on to Or snub the splintery holding rope arou~d, And where those big green divagations were So loftily with shadows interleaved The absent-minded blue rains in on us. Kow that they've got it sectioned on the ground It looks as though somebody made a plain ~rror in diagnosis, for the wood Is sweet and sound throughout. You couldn't know, Of course, until you took it down. That's what Experts are for, and these experts stand around 'l'he giant pieces of tree as though expecting An instruction booklet from the factory Before they try to put it back together. Anyhow, there it isn't, on the ground. Next come the tractor and the crow bar crew To extirpate what's left and fill the grave. l1aybe tomorrow grass seed will be sown. There's some mean-spirited moral "oint in that As well: You learn to bury your mistakes, Though for a while at dusk the darkening air ~ill be with many shadows interleaved, And pierced with the bewilderment of birds. --Howard Nemerov Both the present owner and the prospective owner of the house at 3393 ". ""," 3tr",et respectfully request that there be a moratorium on the removal of this particular tree - fourth from the southeast corner of 34th and "[;" streets ..e are all learning, much to our dismay, that environmental decisions made in the past can come home to haunt us. ~t~;;.;_'---';" --- -~~~.......,_,.. )6~2. W~ Helen S. 'iaUick ??.;J.--'l"/.57 '\~~ <John Cob~e '7fJ-P9( prospect1ve owner ~ . u,;-~~// November 21, 1985 S8~'t.. Jack Strlckler,. coun~ilman'c;venth Ward C Tree Removal, SEC 34th Street and "E" Street From Manuel P. Moreno, ~ "'\. , Director of Publi~~ervices Date October 28, 1985 5-Jbject ;. ::>proved Date The Director of Public Services has reviewed the request from Cal-Trans and the Mayor's Traffic Safety Committee for the removal of the first tree lo- cated at the southeast corner of 34th Street and "E" Street. I authorized removal to proceed because it was found to create a sight problem for west- bound traffic stopping on 34th Street. Per Chapter 2.64, Res. 344, 2-20-84, Ord. 325, 12-5-83, Ord. 3016 (Part), 1969, and'ord. 1655,4-1941, the property owner has the right to file an appeal with the City Clerk, persuant to the provisions above, to be heard by the Mayor and Common Counc i 1. . . I am also recommending that when the tree is removed, if the property owner approves, we purchase a compatible tree to be replaced further east on the owner's property line to avoid creating a future traffic hazard. Staff will be contacting the property owner as soon as possible to attempt to solve this situation to everyone's satisfaction. 1?Z~~~;;~~! Director of Public Services cc: John Matzer, Jr., City Administrator Roger Hardgrave, Director of Public Works/City Engineer C,., YON ., HE .:MlJV;J: ~ ,- ._--.~ ....... .'~