November 11, 2020 – Town of Erin, WI – The Town of Erin intends to remove a very large number of healthy and valuable trees along Emerald Drive and St. Augustine Road in preparation for laying new roads likely starting next year.
The issue concerns more than just the two previously mentioned roads. On two other roads, Donegal Road and Shamrock Lane no road work is required but the Town announced a plan for extensive removal of ash trees, many of which are diseased.
However, several non-ash trees such as maples and oaks were also marked for removal.
These four roads are part of the rustic road system and are designated as Rustic Road 33 by the Wisconsin DOT Rustic Road Board. Furthermore, Emerald Drive and St. Augustine Road fall within an area designated by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) as a Primary Environmental Corridor, an area that merits special consideration.
We (the residents of the Town of Erin) are very concerned about the Town’s plan and its impact on our neighborhood, safety, property values and quality of life. We want the Town to work with us and experts to develop an alternate plan.
Thus far the Town has refused to work with the residents however the Town recently engaged with another concerned resident who could qualify as an Expert (on trees and seasonal maintenance).
Thereafter, the Town modified somewhat its original plan and some trees that were originally marked for removal are no longer on the cut-list, particularly on Donegal and Shamrock.
We are thankful for this modification however more needs to be done. While we do not know the specifics of the expert’s opinion we strongly suspect the inconsistencies and excessive removal that still make up the plan are the result of the Town retaining its veto power over the expert’s opinion.
As Susan Graham in the Letter to the Editor titled “Why Healthy Tree Removal in the Town of Erin” notes, there are far too many healthy trees marked for removal, unnecessarily, at taxpayer expense. We proposed the following two options to the Town and are waiting for a response:
1. If The Town Is Committed To Removing The Trees This Year: We marked with blue ribbons the trees that still remain on the cut-list but must be protected. The Town’s Expert should review our work (accompanied by a resident/Sue Graham, preferably) and final decision to rest with the Town’s Expert. The remainder of the trees can then be removed this year as planned by the Town.
2. If The Town Can Wait Until Next Year, Which It Can Because The Road Is Not Slated For Repair Until Next Year At The Earliest: We could work through the next few months on a plan, jointly explore and obtain funding, both from public and private sources. We (the residents) have already done some work on this and have several private funding sources available. We are also assessing public sources and believe there could be some availability. At the end of this, we are confident that the final objective (including seasonal maintenance) can be accomplished at a lower or no cost to the Town.
Tip for readers, if you have time, please take a drive on Emerald Drive (between Shamrock and St Augustine) and St Augustine Road (between Hogsback and Elmwood) to see the sheer number of healthy trees (with blue ribbons) that remain slated for removal.
Please also note:
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