Committee pitches new tree planting policy

Avon Lake is seeking to develop a street tree planting program.

On Aug. 26, Avon Lake City Council Public Service Committee voted 3-0 to recommend legislation to Council to add more greenery to city streets.

Public Works Director Joe Reitz said the Avon Lake Tree Commission is developing a plan which would plant trees on streets either as new additions or to replace dying trees.

Homeowners associations will select a breed of trees and the city will locate and purchase them while being responsible for the planting.

The group also will provide property owners with watering bags.

Homeowners associations will reimburse the city for the purchase of the trees while the city will maintain the trees.

The program is slated to be tested in two neighborhoods in the fall on Colony Drive and Titus Hill Lane.

Reitz said he hopes to develop the program into a city-wide policy with Council’s approval.

“It’s worked with us in the past,” he said. “And like I said, we bought a bunch of trees in the spring that we will be planting this fall for the two neighborhoods over the colonies (Colony Drive) and Titus Hill (Lane) and the Tree Commission is encouraged by this because they’ve had a number of subdivisions and say we would like to be a part of this.”

The city works with neighborhoods on the type of tree selected and requires 80 percent consensus. Reitz said the city typically has had near 100 percent consensus.

The proposal now heads to Council where it will be heard at the Sept. 3 Collective Committee meeting.

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION