SAVE OUR TREES PETITION

APPLETON, MINNESOTA

April 20, 2022

To:      Mayor Dan Tosel, Councilmen Dan Enke, Jay Heinecke, Chad Syltie, and Gary Borstad, City Administrator Willie Morales, and Bob Schlieman, Apex Engineering:

            We citizens were surprised and unhappy to learn that you are intending to have all boulevard trees (over 150) removed under the contract for street renovation and water/sewer for the eastern areas of Rooney and Schlieman Avenues.  No residents or business owners of Appleton were asked whether this was desirable, much less a public hearing intended.  We at least now have a public hearing scheduled for April 20, 2022.  

            Other communities have done a good job of saving their boulevard trees.  The closest example is nearby Madison, MN, where they saved over 95% of their trees for their city-wide street replacements.  Madison also had the contractor use directional boring in limited, appropriate places instead of just complete dig up.  As fate would have it, the prime contractor used by Madison in their successful renovation project was Kuehle Underground, Inc., the contractor that submitted the lowest bid for the two-street renovation on April 13, 2022.

            Interestingly, the City of Madison used the firm of Bolton & Menke as its engineering/planning firm for the street renovations project, not Apex Engineering group.

            Some of us local citizens have consulted with tree experts and master gardeners and have been advised that, like the City of Madison’s experience, the vast majority of our boulevard   trees, over 90%, should be savable.  We aren’t going to take the space here to catalog all the positive benefits of mature trees for our homeowners, the community and the planet.

            WE HEREBY PETITION THAT YOU ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING:      

1.         Keep the width of Schlieman Avenue to the existing 30 feet, saving construction funds and the viability of the boulevard trees;

2.         Have a contractual obligation to use “Best Efforts” to save trees, including minimizing root damage, and using realistic directional boring;

3.         Notify all adjoining homeowners to reasonably water boulevard trees when excavation begins;

4.         Decline a proposed resolution that prohibits boulevard tree planting;

5.         Establish a list of acceptable tree species for boulevards in consultation with certified arborists;

6.         Prohibit unacceptable species in new plantings on boulevards; and

7.         Establish a policy of 20% reimbursement to residents or businesses for acceptable species planted on their premises within Appleton, if two quotes from established businesses are provided.

Bear in mind that if rebidding is necessary to accomplish the above (and it may not), this is not the fault of us citizens.  Who is responsible for the lack of notice on the intention to destroy the trees, and the seeming position that there is no choice in the matter?