Hill & Lake Press has just learned that many of the trees slated to be removed in the Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction Project have been given a reprieve. In the original plan, 120 of the 191 trees on the corridor had been scheduled for removal. However, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, director of the Department of Public Works, has notified Hill & Lake Press that Public Works and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board have worked together to reduce that number to 49.
Hill & Lake Press broke the story by running a photo essay about the condemned trees in the October 2022 issue. Kelliher responded in the December issue, acknowledging that trees would be lost, but saying that an inventory would be conducted to help decide which might stay.
Director Margaret Anderson Kelliher to the rescue
Kelliher included the accompanying graphic in her recent email, which shows the results of that inventory.
According to Don Elwood, the director of Transportation Engineering & Design for Public Works, the photos in the graphic are simply meant to show the range of trees on Hennepin, including an empty spot where a tree will go in the future. The gator bag tree is an illustration of the sort of small replacement trees that have been planted in the past. On this project larger trees will be used and properly cared for. And while priority is given to preserving top-tier trees, other factors will have to be considered, mainly proximity to the expanded roadbed.
What about the remaining trees?
As for protecting and enhancing the trees that remain, the soil will be removed by air spading, a vacuum truck that sucks the soil away from the roots rather than a backhoe that severs them. And better soil will replace what was there.
Director Elwood is a veteran of many large public works projects and will visit the project frequently once it’s underway to try to help businesses and residents with problems that arise. He praised the City and the Park Board for listening to the concerns about the tree loss, and for cooperating on a solution.
Special thanks to Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer as well.
Hill & Lake Press has also been in frequent contact with Park Board Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer, who has played a significant role in efforts to protect the City’s tree canopy. Her response has always been informative and encouraging of civic involvement. Of this effort she said, “This kind of collaboration, creativity and teamwork between community members, the Department of Public Works, MPRB Forestry division and elected officials is inspiring. We can’t always get trees back…. but in this case, we did. I am grateful for everyone’s role and hard work in this."
Kudos to Director Kelliher and Commissioner Shaffer for their patient listening and resulting collaboration and to everyone who took a stand so that the trees could stand. Thank you to Hill & Lake Press for covering local issues like these, “where the biggies leave off.” We are stronger together.
