What A Difference Three Weeks Makes! What A Difference Rich Volo's CAC Makes!

At the April meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council, I asked chairperson Rich Volo what, if anything, the council does about homeowners who fail to maintain their sidewalk trees, particularly in terms of weeds and litter at bases that go ignored for months or year after year.  Here is exactly what Rich responded with:  "It's the responsibility of the owner to maintain their tree."

"If that's not happening, does the CAC get involved?" I followed with. 

Volo responded, "It's the person's private property; it's their responsibility.  No, we do not get involved...  We do not do enforcement like that."

In other words, no one at City Hall does enforcement "like that."

I hope that's the dumbest thing you read all day.  Request and receive a free sidewalk tree; ignore it if you like.  We don't care.

July 2nd, three weeks after the lead 
picture was taken.  The CAC wouldn't 
care if all of the sidewalk trees they help
plant were to be treated with such negligence.

A city where practically everything and anything goes and where there is little to no enforcement of the code (and the code is badly in need of revision) is a city headed down the drain and getting uglier and less safe by the day.

A few years ago, thanks to the CAC, the featured sidewalk tree showed up in the 500 block of State Street at the request of the property owner, halving the width of the sidewalk.  It is still forcing every pedestrian to do a zig zag to get past it.  Not only have I never seen Rich Volo walk past that tree, but it also seems he doesn't give a hoot if it dies tomorrow for lack of the proper care that "the owner is responsible for." The same might be said of the property owner.

You don't need to be a farmer or plant scientist to know that allowing weeds, especially tall ones, to grow at the base of a young tree prevents the tree from getting the nutrients and water it desperately needs, possibly stressing the tree to a quick death.  And the CAC and Rich Volo are okay with blocking half of a sidewalk for that exact scenario?  And if that tree dies and disappears, will Rich Volo give the property owner another chance with a second free tree they just might also ignore?  Or will the CAC just allow the weeds to continue to return year after year, continuing to block the sidewalk and continuing to beautify the city? 

Both DPW Superintendent Rob Perry and Parking 
Captain David Miller teamed up on this downtown 
beautification effort.  Give them the raises they deserve!