Milwaukie debate rises over plan to light landmark redwood in Milwaukie Bay Park

Milwaukie — Members of the Milwaukie Tree Board on Monday split over a proposal to wrap an approximately 80-foot coastal redwood in Milwaukie Bay Park with programmable LED lights for events and seasonal displays.

Andy, presenting for the Milwaukie Parks Foundation, said the project has been redesigned to limit cost and tree impact. “This is coming out of the urban renewal grants funded by placemaking grants,” he said, and the group has reduced initial vendor estimates from about $120,000 to under $10,000 and included a two-year maintenance fund in the grant.

Supporters on the board said the installation could increase downtown foot traffic and community engagement. “If we could think about parallels from community outreach … taking note of trees we like or gather around, I think that can be a point of gathering,” Alexis said.

Skeptics — including at least one long-serving board member who raised extensive technical concerns — urged caution. The board heard worries about light pollution near water, possible disruption to nesting wildlife and the practical difficulty of replacing strands that fail on the exterior of a very large canopy. One attendee described the idea as “a solution in search of a problem” (unattributed comment recorded in the meeting).

Andy addressed the technical questions: the proposal uses soft tree straps and very low-intensity strands, run at about 20 percent power so each LED would emit roughly 1–2 lumens. He said three licensed arborists have reviewed the plan, climbers and aerial lifts would be used for installation, and an on-site meeting between the project arborist and the city urban forester (Alfred) is planned. He also noted the lights would be turned off by 10 p.m. and used primarily for holidays and events.

Board members’ feedback ranged from conditional support to outright opposition. Concerns that weighed most heavily included the risk of long-term damage if maintenance lapses, trenching impacts to surface roots for conduit installation, and the difficulty and cost of future repairs. Andy said the foundation will consider alternate arborists, allow on-site inspection before work, and can adjust technical details in response to the board’s prescriptive guidance.

With final permitting authority resting with City Manager Emma Sager, staff will forward the range of opinions and recommendations collected at the meeting rather than issue a single board endorsement. The project’s proponents said they will continue refining technical controls and provide the city with bids and arborist documentation if the proposal proceeds.

Next steps: staff will summarize the board’s positions for the city manager; no formal approval by the board was recorded at the meeting.