City decides trees on Bernard to fall

Despite an outcry from many South Hill residents, city officials decided Tuesday it will remove 22 street trees along Bernard Street this spring as part of a project to rehabilitate Bernard between 14th and 29th avenues.

“Street trees are great assets in our neighborhoods, and we’ve struggled with the decision to remove these trees,” Mayor Dennis Hession said. “We certainly appreciate all the input we’ve received from neighbors and other citizens, but in the long run, this is the right decision.”

Hession said the city will plant 24 new trees along this stretch to make up for the loss. However, the trees will not be planted in the bumper strip, but rather inside the sidewalk boundary.

In the fall, the city announced plans for a $4 million street reconstruction to improve two miles of Freya, from Hartson to 37th avenues, and the Bernard stretch. The project is part of the city’s street bond program, a 10-year plan to repair 110 miles of Spokane city streets.

Landscape activists voiced their disapproval of the tree removal to Hession, the City Council and the Citizens’ Streets Advisory Commission. Last Saturday, a group of residents also tied yellow ribbons on many of the trees targeted for firewood. Some of the maples and elms have signs that read “Help Save Us.”

The city claims many of the trees, which are located primarily on the east side of Bernard, are in poor health because of root systems that are too shallow and damaged from past storms and improper trimming. They have caused sidewalk and street damage and are interfering with utilities in the area.

A report by the city’s arborist determined that half the trees were too damaged to be saved regardless of whether the street is disrupted for repair. The arborist also concludes that the remainder of the trees likely would not survive reconstruction of the street.