Resident presses council to restore tree screening around retention basin; council cites private-property limits and past $40,000 design change

Jeff Greenway, a resident who identified himself as living on Explorer at "Page 249 Chillicothe," urged the South Russell Village Council on Feb. 24 to restore tree screening near a retention basin next to his property.

Greenway told the council he had supported the original stormwater project and said he had proposed purchasing and planting several fast-growing spruce trees at his own and neighboring property to restore screening. "I put forward a proposal ... total cost ... was about $34,000 for a half dozen of them," he said.

Council members responded that the minutes from the meeting Greenway cited showed only informal discussion about future screening, not a firm village commitment. One council member said the preliminary placement drawings Greenway submitted put the proposed trees on private property, and that the village does not typically expend public funds for plantings on private land. "I personally have an exception with expending public funds on private property," a council member said.

Council members and staff also told Greenway that the village previously modified the retention-basin design to accommodate concerns and that the village incurred roughly $40,000 in costs to change that design. Council members said they will review the meeting minutes Greenway cited from March 2022 and that the public-utilities committee will discuss the matter further. A council member said the topic would likely return for discussion at the public utilities meeting in March.

The council did not adopt any ordinance or award funds at the meeting; members asked staff and the relevant committee to review the prior minutes and the placement drawings Greenway referenced and to discuss next steps at the public-utilities committee meeting.

Council members encouraged Greenway to consider planting on his own property as an interim step and advised that any village-funded plantings would need to be on village property or subject to a negotiated agreement.

The council scheduled follow-up discussion at the public-utilities committee meeting in March and asked staff to provide the minutes and any related design documents for that discussion.