(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

2 May 2018

Dear Mayor Curtatone,

I find myself to be writing on this occasion in a state of some distress due to the concern that I’ve developed in connection with the way in which the matter of dealing with citizens concerned by the planned removal of trees along Somerville Avenue in the Union Square area is being handled by city government.  My distress has mainly to do with what in my mind is the fact that the plan that has been announced to remove these trees is not likely to be justified by the case I expect to be made this evening at the public hearing at the police station, based on what I experienced at the “hearing” I attended in that same location last week which was called for the purpose of talking about a similar plan to remove trees that remain after what I understand to be an unauthorized felling of 37 trees on Beacon Street <http://somerville.wickedlocal.com/news/20171006/contractors-remove-trees-on-beacon-street-in-somerville-without-city-knowledge> last fall, for which no immediate financial or other material penalty has been imposed upon the contractor for what many, especially those living and working in the area, consider to be this outrage.

I have enjoyed being a resident of Somerville since 1984, and have during the period between then and now seen many changes, but they have been mostly of a minor sort — buildings being refurbished or replaced, alterations in traffic patterns, the redevelopment of Assembly Square (which, of course, is not at all minor) and the various beautification and improvement efforts that have taken place, largely during your own administration, such as what is now ongoing in Lincoln Park.  Having attended a number of meetings with you and a handful of other people, I know you to be sincere, dedicated and very hard working.  I know you, as a lifelong resident of the city, love the place as much, if not more, than I do myself, and that you are quite caring and compassionate as a person.

It is with this latter thought in mind that I call to your attention the source of my distress, which has to do primarily with what I, at least, perceive to be a flawed process with regard to informing citizens as to the necessity of the removal of trees along Somerville Ave. which is being planned.  For one thing, though I know that the requirement for all comments, like those I am now sending, to be submitted _prior to_ what is being billed as a “hearing” come from state law, I feel confident that it would be possible to permit letters sent to you and those within your administration who are making presentations to be accepted and given equal weight for a period of time following such a meeting, after people have had an opportunity to evaluate what has been said and to discuss the matter among themselves. (What sense does it make for people to voice their objections on incomplete and possibly faulty information?)

Further, as a matter of the law of the Commonwealth, I have learned of a provision <http://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter87/Section4> thereof which states:

/Section 4: //Cutting down or removing public shade trees; approval of selectmen or mayor/

/Section 4. Tree wardens shall not cut down or remove or grant a permit for the cutting down or removal of a public shade tree if, at or before a public hearing as provided in the preceding section, objection in writing is made by one or more persons, unless such cutting or removal or permit to cut or remove is approved by the selectmen or by the mayor. /

Though, unlike yourself, I am not a lawyer, the language here seems fairly straightforward and easy to interpret (and it does expose the source of the pre-hearing comments protocol about which I was just complaining).  This provision of law seems to mean that, given that you will have received objections /by one or more persons/, many of them far less conditional than my own, the decision is to be governed by a vote of the Board of Aldermen and/or an order coming from yourself, rather than being a more routine administrative matter, which would only require a signoff by the tree warden and/or arborist.

Going back to the cause of my distress, my experience at the previous “hearing” left me feeling that those on your staff who were listening were:

* not giving direct answers to many of the important questions that were asked,

* not themselves offering obviously relevant information, such as whether according to the plan that has been put in place for sewer/storm drain separation and road reconstruction there is an absolute necessity for trees to be removed, and what is the basis for that necessity,

* not really in a position to modify the plan based upon input they received during that interaction.

I plan to attend the meeting tonight, though I doubt that you do. Still, from what I have been able to gather from various sources, I think that this decision rests in your hands.  I have created a page <http://unionsquareneighborhoodcouncil.org/51-events/112-180502-somerville-ave-tree-removal-hearing> on the new Union Square Neighborhood Council site, of which I am the webmaster, to give my fellow USNC members the benefit of what information I’ve managed to learn during the short space of time during which I’ve been studying the subject.

I intend to remain active in whatever struggle might ensue following this hearing.  Again, my primary concern has to do with the process, which for me does not appear designed to allay the sentiments of those who, like myself, would be very sad to see the trees which have been surviving along Somerville Ave. for so many decades to have their lives ended prematurely and replaced after a few years by saplings (that may or may not survive in individual cases) which would take something approaching another half century to reach the size of those we know and love.

I look to you for a personal statement about this matter, shared with all concerned citizens, and hope you can and will understand why some of us feel as strongly as we do.

Respectfully yours,

Gary S. Trujillo
Union Square