Resident tells committee overgrown street trees have blocked sidewalks for 14 years, asks for accountability

During the public‑comment portion of the July 14 Planning and Development Committee meeting, resident Dave Michealak told the committee that overgrown street trees have obstructed sidewalks across the city for about 14 years and described repeated, unsuccessful attempts to get the issue addressed.

Michealak said he has called 311, the forestry director, the city manager and the mayor “probably hundreds of times” about trees growing into the sidewalk pathway so that children on bikes must swerve into the street. “This is a safety risk,” he said. “I think the real issue is accountability.”

Michealak said the problem persists in winter when low branches can strike pedestrians. He described the condition as chronic and widespread: “We’re talking hundreds of trees, not 1, 10, 20, 30.” He asked who at the top of the chain of command is responsible for ensuring the forestry director addresses the problem.

Chair Harikaris responded that the comment period was not the time for back‑and‑forth and offered to provide email addresses after the meeting so Michealak and staff could follow up. The meeting record does not show a committee policy response or a pledge of action during the session.

Michealak also linked the perceived lack of upkeep to broader local economic concerns: “Maybe that has played a factor in fact that about 75% of the businesses here fail on a regular basis,” he said, attributing the problem to poor city upkeep rather than a single neglected block. The chair reiterated that staff would follow up with contact information after the public‑comment period.