||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER |||

The north entrance of Eastsound is facing yet another alteration as trees both diseased and healthy along the west side of North Beach Rd. in front of Children’s House and Salmonberry may soon come down. The Broad Leaf Maples reside along the county right-of-way but on properties that belong to the schools. At the January meeting of the Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC), Cory Harrington, representing the boards of both schools, asked that all the trees be removed for safety reasons.

According to County Council member Cindy Wolf, both the EPRC and Children’s House have brought arborists out to inspect the trees, and while there has been no formal report, “they had differing opinions.” Still, she added, “Our first concern is for community safety. Trees do have a lifecycle. If those trees are deemed dangerous, we have to take them down. It’s a liability and safety issue.”

After the meeting, it was agreed that both the EPRC and Children’s House send their reports to Wolf and Colin Huntemer of Public Works. If there is still a question on whether all or just some of the maples should be cut, the county will send a crew to re-evaluate. Otherwise, all of the trees will come down immediately. According to the EPRC’s suggested plan, only half the trees merit immediate removal. A few more could be taken over time, but the rest are fine and provide other benefits such as shade, protection from wind shear, and aesthetic value – all of which were already diminished when the canopy was thinned for the April’s Grove development.

Children’s House could remove the trees without consultation, but because they are in the right of way, it becomes a county expense. In their place, Wolf states that a landscape architect from the county will draw up a plan and work with property owners and the EPRC on choosing replacement trees – something that hasn’t yet happened along the Orcas Road straightaway near The Exchange that was clear-cut in 2019. Also worth noting: If all the trees come down, it “paves” the way (at some point in the future) for that stretch of road to be widened by eight feet, which Public Works is wont to do but which many in the community would likely characterize as unnecessary and resulting in a further loss of rural character.

To weigh in, contact the following:

NOTE: This post has been updated to correct contact information for Children’s House President, Don Walters. A link to the county document re: the widening of North Beach Road: https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/19329/Ordinance-31-2018-Adopting-North-Beach-Road-Street-Improvement-Plan?bidId=


 

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