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Resident requests replacements and species list for Franklin Street plantings
Summary
At the Aug. 5 Michigan City Tree Board meeting, resident Scott Mellon praised recent plantings, asked which species were used and urged the board to plan for invasive-species removal and fill two empty tree grates on Franklin Street.
Scott Mellon, a Michigan City resident who gave his address as 200 Kendall Place, told the Tree Board on Aug. 5 that the recent street tree plantings have "looked great" and asked the board to confirm what species were planted and whether any plan exists to remove or replace invasive trees along Franklin Street.
"I'm curious that all the trees you planted are looking great," Mellon said during the public-comment period. He also pointed to two empty tree grates on the east side of Franklin between 9th and 10th streets and urged the board to consider filling them before nearby new businesses open and the block becomes more active. The board said it would check the inventory and follow up; City Forester Phil Graff indicated inventory details should be available online and offered to provide counts for the stretch between Jewel Spring and 11th Street.
Mellon pressed the board on whether the Franklin Street plantings include invasive species and whether replacements had been planned. Board members said they are aware of invasive species concerns on Franklin, that some stretches include many of those species, and that grant restrictions have limited invasive-removal work. The board suggested fundraising, grant-matching or coordination with groups such as Green Development Corp. to address larger removal and replacement needs. "If there were an estimate of that, we could fundraise for that," one member said.
The board committed to follow up with Mellon and to provide a count of affected trees in the Franklin Street zone; members noted that some inventory material and species lists are available through the city and that Phil Graff maintains an inventory that can answer the species question.
