Fenimore Woods Project

As many of you may know, the Board has been discussing a park improvement project at Fenimore Woods. After several conversations with neighbors in the community, I believe it is right that this project be paused and that the we form a committee consisting of staff, parks/rec committee volunteers and residents to talk about the needs/goals for this improvement project.

One of the issues that caused residents, including myself, concern was the number of trees that were designated for removal – I believe the initial number was 125+ trees. While the plans have been paused, there is a resolution on the Board’s July 12th agenda requesting approval to remove 29 trees due to declining health/deemed safety hazards.

I am not opposed to removing trees if they are hazardous, but I have vocalized my concerns over the last four years about using emergency declarations to remove trees in our parks – it sows distrust amongst the community if people believe it is not being used appropriately. In my opinion, this was a tactic used by the old administration to get an agenda pushed through the Board, and I was always skeptical of the reasoning used to justify these requests. If every tree removal is an emergency, are any really an emergency? I am sure there are other residents, who feel the same way, which tells me we have some work to do to rebuild that trust with the community.

As such, I believe there needs to be more oversight when the township is removing trees in our parks. Similar to the Shade Tree ordinance which lists requirements for residents who remove 6+ trees or a heritage tree on their property, I would like to see actions required of the township when it removes a defined number of trees/heritage trees from a park, including but not limited to requiring a second opinion from a certified arborist. Once these mature trees are removed, we will never enjoy the same canopy in our lifetime – we need to demonstrate to the community that we are good stewards of the parks.

Furthermore, I will not support any park improvement project that does not include a process where the residents are involved – in fact, they should be central to the process. We should be listening to the community to ensure we are meeting their needs today, tomorrow, and for the future.
Finally, I want to thank all the residents who have come together to achieve a shared goal for Fenimore Woods. This is the essence of community and I look forward to working with you going forward on this project, and other park projects as they are proposed.