Resident says Hammond Street work killed trees, urges council to enforce permit promises

Veil (Val) Shaw addressed council during public comment on July 27, saying a tree on the southwest corner of her property died after the Hammond Street expansion and that her family’s permit promised restoration. Shaw presented photos and a forensic arborist report and said the city’s earlier on-site checks had not addressed the problem; "This is what's falling out of that dead tree," she told council, and later said, "I've lost money, privacy, and safety because of this work."

Shaw said she paid to resurvey her property to confirm the city had not returned the fence to the permitted location, described how the permit process involved her 90-year-old blind mother, and asked council to address the matter "morally, ethically, legally." The council did not take formal action in the meeting; the public-comment period concluded after Shaw's remarks and no immediate staff response was recorded on the council floor.