City needs to pay attention to preserving trees | Letter to the editor

In looking at the plans for the Rainier Avenue project, I don’t see pulloffs for buses to load/unload passengers. This is one of the main problems for traffic problems along Rainier Avenue and just about every bus stop in Renton. Bus loading/unloading pulloffs should be part of every street project. This only makes sense when the streets are all torn up anyway.

June 7, 2012 1:48 pm

In looking at the plans for the Rainier Avenue project, I don’t see pulloffs for buses to load/unload passengers. This is one of the main problems for traffic problems along Rainier Avenue and just about every bus stop in Renton. Bus loading/unloading pulloffs should be part of every street project. This only makes sense when the streets are all torn up anyway.

I also hope that the City of Renton will be putting in more mature trees than the ones that were put in on Wells and the streets surrounding Wells.

The slash-and-burn policy by the City of Renton, when it comes to recent mature tree removal on Rainier Ave and Wells, is shocking, especially when Renton was given a Green City Award in the not-too-distant past.

I would hope that more mature trees will be used to replace all the mature trees that have been removed along Rainier Avenue. It will take years for the tiny trees planted on and around Wells to regain the beauty and cover of the removed trees.

It is unfortunate that planned projects cannot include working with and around mature trees/landscaping.  I.E. the plans for the sidewalks on Wells should have incorporated the mature trees and offending tree roots by allowing for extra space when laying the new sidewalks.

The tree replacement in downtown Renton over the past several years has not been well thought out. When we moved here 10 years ago, we were impressed by all of the trees in and around downtown Renton.  Now the downtown area/Rainier Avenue is looking bleak and will be looking bleak for a long time to come. Trees don’t grow real fast which is why we have to build and plan around them whenever possible.

P.S. The city needs to remind businesses that put in tree planters to water them and to put them in places that get rain. An example of this is the two magnificent cedar trees, which are now very dead, that are on Main Avenue South at the vacant Stix and Stones Restaurant. The City Council and mayor need to take a walk around the downtown area.  Some businesses are not keeping up their areas.

Phyllis Forister

Renton