August 12, 2020 – Town of Erin, WI – A copy of the letter that was sent to the Town Clerk regarding Rustic Road 33 has been forwarded and posted below courtesy Michael Meidel.
Dear Erin Town Clerk,
I am unable to attend the Board meeting on the evening of July 20, but I’d like to make known to the Board my opposition to the unnecessary and detrimental removal of trees that is proposed to occur in conjunction with the repaving of Emerald Drive.
Emerald Drive is part of Rustic Road 33 as designated by the State of Wisconsin. To quote from the Governor’s Message in the Rustic Road Brochure, “Most of Wisconsin’s roads are a means to move people or goods safely and efficiently. Rustic Roads, in contrast, are the destination, offering you an excuse to slow down and stop to enjoy the view. Over 40 years old and still growing, the Rustic Roads program helps preserve lightly traveled country roads with outstanding natural features. Motorists, bicycle riders, hikers and motorcyclists all share these scenic routes.”
There are a few requirements that a road must have in order to be designated as a rustic road, such as having outstanding natural features or areas that set the road apart from other roads, be a lightly traveled road, not be scheduled for a major improvement which would change its rustic characteristics. Seeing the the trees that have been marked for removal as I travel Emerald Drive, I firmly believe that such an action would drastically change the rustic character of the drive. The removal of these trees is costly to the taxpayer and serves no verifiable purpose. Many of the trees are actually at the top of berms or midway up hills. The topography itself prohibits snow plow wings. There is no need to remove these trees. There is still much debate on whether additional exposure to the sun improves or reduces the life of the asphalt paving. It’s simply not worth the added expense and the potential loss of the Rustic Road designation.
Moreover, the clearing of the trees and unnecessary expansion of the shoulder area encourages drivers to travel much faster, creating a safety hazard for the hikers and bicyclists who frequent the road, and even for motorists since the road has several blind turns and rises that would become extremely hazardous at higher speeds.
There is no doubt that the road need repaving, but the extreme tree removal is unnecessary, costly to the taxpayer and unsafe to the users.
Thanks for your consideration,
Michael Meidel
Town of Erin
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