Tony Overman/The Olympian
Ricky Ocampo and son Paul walk Tuesday afternoon along the median of upper Bay Loop, where a city of Tumwater crew cleared brush and trees earlier in the day. "It looks good," Ocampo said. Although neighbors agree the median had become neglected, City Administrator Doug Baker said neighbors should have been notified before the city cut down trees that were not a danger.

Tree-cutting saws go quiet after neighbors make noise

Tumwater suggests residents meet to decide fate of trees

RUTH LONGORIA, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published October 17, 2001

TUMWATER -- Some residents of a northwest hillside neighborhood woke to the roar of chainsaws biting into trees Tuesday morning.

A few of those surprised residents raised a ruckus of their own and forced the cutting to stop -- at least for now.

About 75 young trees and shrubs were felled, but numerous young Douglas fir, maple, alder and cedar trees escaped unscathed when a city of Tumwater Public Works Department crew got the order to ax their assignment instead of the trees.

"It's just a matter of communication," said Ellie Cook, 46, of Tumwater.

Trees were cut down the median of Bay Loop.

Cook saw workers tagging trees with yellowish-green tags Monday, she said.

The trees with tags were to remain.

Homeowners had planted some of the unmarked trees on lower Bay Loop, Cook said.

In an attempt to postpone the project, Cook collected signatures of neighbors who were opposed to the lack of notification.

However, Cook said, she really became concerned when workers arrived with chainsaws at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The workers told Cook to contact their supervisor because the trees were to be cut as scheduled, said Cook, who called Tumwater City Administrator Doug Baker.

Baker stopped the job when it became clear that cutting the trees wasn't what all of the homeowners wanted, he said.

A few homeowners contacted

Maintaining the trees on city streets is a normal task for the Public Works Department, Baker said.

City employees had contact with a few of the homeowners prior to Tuesday's cutting and those homeowners wanted the trees, shrubs and brush cleared, Baker said.

A tree isn't usually cut down unless it looks like it might fall on somebody or something, Baker said.

"I decided we'd better call it a day when it became clear that all of the homeowners weren't of the same mind," he said.

Baker said a letter will be sent to the area's 50 homeowners suggesting a neighborhood meeting at City Hall to decide how residents would like to seal the fate of the foliage.

Cook doesn't foresee any problems in coming to a consensus among the homeowners, she said.

"I have my own private feelings; I'm a tree lover. And I'm sure the 50 homeowners each have different ideas," Cook said.

"But I think we all agree it should be maintained. We just need to know what's being done ahead of time."

Ruth Longoria covers Tumwater for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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