Trees were a topic of discussion during Tuesday’s Revitalization Commission meeting.
While discussing the River Park Square project in TIF District # 2 Commission member Nancy Felde once again asked about the replacement trees that don’t appear to be performing any better than the original ones. There was a warranty on the first trees and it’s uncertain if there is a warranty on the second trees.
City attorney Sean Surrisi said he will meet with Mike Reese from the Troyer Group and Michiana Contracting and see if a resolution can be reached for another round of replacement trees.
The other discussion of trees pertained to the tree grates about most of the trees in the downtown district. There was a question on replacing the missing grates and the city’s tree and flower committee has determined they should be replaced. A few of the ones removed had been causing damage to the trees trunks because they were growing into the metal grates. Feldy said the grates should be trimmed to give the tree plenty of room to continue growing.
It was also mentioned that the grates should be cleaned at least once a year. Each half of the grates weight 200 pounds and removing them and cleaning is complicated and time consuming project.
