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Tree commission urges ODOT and village to preserve Bicentennial Park spruce in SR‑161 plan
Summary
Plain City’s Tree Commission asked the village and ODOT to "extend every effort" to preserve an existing spruce at Bicentennial Park in the SR‑161 (Chillicothe Street) intersection-improvement plans and submitted a formal statement and technical comments ahead of an ODOT response due Dec. 10.
The Plain City Tree Commission told the village council it wants the existing spruce tree at Bicentennial Park preserved as ODOT advances a redesign of the State Route 161/Chillicothe Street intersection. Christy, the commission chair, read a formal statement asking ODOT and the village to "extend every effort possible to preserve, protect, and incorporate the existing spruce tree planted at Bicentennial Park" in ODOT plan ID 121878.
Kim Nicholasiewicz, a Tree Commission member who said she holds a doctorate in entomology, reviewed public comments and disputed claims the tree is dying. "I don't think that's particularly true," she said, adding that the tree likely has a longer life expectancy than many street trees planted in compacted soil. She called for preserving recognizable trees and for planting additional trees where feasible.
Village staff and the mayor noted that the concept plan was intended to start a public conversation and that ODOT and the project engineer are collecting feedback. Administrator Lupton told the council that comments can be submitted through December 10, after which ODOT will respond and engineers will prepare next steps.
Tree Commission members said they will submit their statement through the project portal and provided a copy to staff. Councilors asked staff to ensure the commission’s concerns are forwarded to ODOT as part of the public record.
The commission’s statement and staff’s note about the Dec. 10 comment deadline are the most recent public filings; ODOT’s official response and any design revisions will come in subsequent project materials.
