____
____
11/1: PCA's resolution adopted at the 11/3 General Membership Meeting
ACTION
SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION to Pepco officials asking them to reconsider their approach to service improvement.
JOIN THE PALISADES TREES DISCUSSION GROUP to carry on the conversation and receive alerts specific to this topic.
EMAIL THE PCA at saveourtrees@palisadesdc.org to express your interest and/or comments on the matter.
BACKGROUND
PCA's November letter to Pepco expressing support for the 'no action' option, and for continued dialog (11/13/09)
Pepco's presentation at the 11/3 PCA General Membership Meeting (pending)
Pepco's 8/24 (non)response letter to PCA concerns, and PCA's 9/14 reply (9/15/09)
PCA's July letter to Pepco expressing concerns of the community (7/27/09)
Northwest Current article, Protest reduces loss of Palisades trees (7/22/09)
Northwest Current article, Pepco stalls tree work amid outcry (7/8/09)
Note from PCA President Spence Spencer (6/29/09)
List of trees slated for removal (6/29/09)
Text of PEPCO's Proposal (6/29/09)
9/15: Pepco's 8/24 (non)response letter to PCA concerns, and PCA's 9/14 reply
7/24: Add your voice to the online petition to PEPCO officials asking them to reconsider their approach to service improvement. And whether or not you sign, you can also email saveourtrees@palisadesdc.org to express your interest and/or comments on the matter.
7/20: Reps from Pepco and PCA with other interested folks from the neighborhood completed a walk-through of the proposed affected areas on 7/20 at 10:00am (along the Sherier trolley line right-of-way) ... and on 7/17 at 10:00am (along MacArthur blvd). PCA is preparing a follow-up letter summarizing their concerns.
6/30 alert: PEPCO recently communicated its plans to trim / remove trees in the neighborhood. Although the information was not available at the time of the PCA's last meeting on the subject, it will be presented to the local ANC 3D meeting on WEDNESDAY JULY 1. Please plan to attend if this is a subject of interest to you.
Note from PCA President William ('Spence')
Spencer
(posted to the Palisades listserv 6/29/09)
Folks:
I wanted to write this email to echo many of the thoughts Laura Phinizy and other neighbors have shared about the possible threat to our trees. Pepco is proposing cutting down along the trolley line at at least 31 different locations, and two blocks along MacArthur Boulevard in the center of the Palisades will basicallly have all their tree cover removed.
Pepco representatives will be at the July 1 ANC meeting to outline their
plans, and in fairness, they are advocating this tree removal (as well
as the extensive "pruning" that has hit the neighborhood recently)
as an effort to upgrade electrical service to combat the recurring outages
that happen around these parts. I for one tho, do not see the wholesale
cutting down of trees as
something that is necessary to accomplish these goals, and denuding our
tree cover is only one of several options that could result in protecting
our trees while also improving service. As our Councilmember Mary Cheh
noted in a meeting where the plans were unveiled last week, Pepco has
yet to make the case for the NECESSITY of removal.
Pepco has stated that they want the trees cut down during the month of August, conveniently when many residents are out of town and with four weeks notice. Last week they have agreed to delay this until they can consult with the community. There is no need to go forward on such an accelerated scale.
Please come to the ANC Meeting this Wednesday, July 1 at 7:00 pm, where Pepco will present its formalized plan to the community at large. It will take place at the Sibley Auditorium, and is early on the ANC's agenda. And tell your neighbors that could be affected about Pepco's proposal.
As you can see, Pepco is seeking to remove more than one tree per location cited, and that right of way issues on specifics have not been worked out. Many property owners very likely have areas that Pepco claims to be part of their right of way that are on their deeds, and Pepco's assertion of right of way may not be the reality.
There are clear tradeoffs between our trees and reliable electric service, and Pepco, again in fairness is doing what it can to address the problem. They deserve the opportunity to lay out what they see as "improvements" for the community. But the July 1 ANC meeting is only the start of a dialogue that has occurred way too late. The community should have been consulted last February, not last week. The wholesale removal of trees that will damage the character of the Palisades should not be the only way to improve our electrical service.
MacArthur Trees PEPCO Wants Removed
The loss of the MacArthur Boulevard trees alone would change the character
of MacArthur Boulevard: they are proposing removal of two the towering
oak trees on the 5500 block of MacArthur (Crossstreet is Macomb), one
on the 5400 block
(Galena), three on the 5300 block (from Arizona to Galena) and SEVEN on
the 5000 block on MacArthur (from Cushing to Dana Place). These are all
huge trees and are literally in the heart of the Palisades' MacArthur
streetscape.
Here's the list:
The last tree on 5500 block on MacArthur at Macomb St.
Another tree on 5500 MacArthur
The tree at 5401 MacArthur
The tree at 5361 MacArthur
The tree at 5337 MacArthur
the tree at 5321 MacArthur
The tree at 5071 MacArthur
5055 MacArthur
5051 MacArthur
5047 MacArthur
5041/5043 MacArthur
"MacArthur Boulevard", which appears to be next door to 5041
MacArthur, Ashby and 49th St.
5025 MacArthur Blvd.
Pepco hopes to get the DC Urban Forestry Administration to approve plans
for the trees to be cut and then get permits from the DC Public Space
Commission.
Apparently this has not been completed and they have stated they want
to meet with the community on July 1 prior to taking any action. Which
is a good thing.
Pepco-proposed Trolley Line Tree Removal
Pepco has also provided the PCA with the following information on work along the old trolley line, with address and commentary:
1. 5404 Norton St. Plantings of incompatible species on right of way.
2. 5846 Sherier. Large Ash and Mulberry on right of way
3. 5844 Sherier. Cherry, sugar maple, ash on right of way
4. 5834 Sherier. Large Oak, smaller ash (fence)
5. 5832 Sherier. Leaning Ash, cypress hedge across right of way
6. 5818 Sherier. Pear and Cherry. Right of way needs to be defined for
ownership
7. 5814 Sherier. Large oak requires right of way delineation, fence pickett
8. 5420 Newark. Elms and ash with play area
9. 5736 Sherier. Large maple by house
10. 5710 1/2 Sherier. Boxelder and ash between yards, define right of
way
11. 5710 Sherier. Maple in front yard, and leyland cypress. Locate right
of way
12. 5708 Sherier. ash clump and tree hedge, define right of way
13. 5305 Dorsett to Arizona Avenue: white pines along top of hill, define
right of way, if within right of way no notification letter needed
14. 5100 Sherier. define ownership/right of way rear of 5100 Sherier beech
tree with ladder in it
15. 2306 Chain Bridge. white pines along top of hill, define right of
way
16. 2304 Chain Bridge. white pines along top of hill, define right of
way
17. 4611 Laverock Place. define right of way to plan removal of public
and private space trees
18. 4615 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
19. 4617 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
20. 4619 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
21. 4621 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
22. 4623 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
23. 4624 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
24. 4622 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
25. 4620 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
26. 4618 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
27. 4616 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
28. 4614 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
29. 4612 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
30. 4610 Laverock. define right of way to plan removal of public and private
space trees
31. 4380 MacArthur Blvd. clearing small trees rear of building, define
right of way.
The document that follows comes as a result of our request for Pepco to delineate exactly what it is asking for in terms of the project/tree removals they are proposing, which are aimed at installing new capacity to serve customer demand more reliably ... but with some impact to the existing infrastructure and trees along the trolley line and MacArthur Blvd. Please note that, according to this document, the removal of MacArthur trees would hypothetically be completed until May of next year, they want tomorrow night's ANC meeting to focus on the trolley line, etc.
This is what Pepco wants
to discuss at the 1
July ANC meeting. It starts at 7:00 pm and will take place
at Sibley Auditorium. If you care about our trees, please try to come.
PCA Chair Spence Spencer
Download the document or read below.
Palisades Reliability Improvements
June 2009
Proposed Upgrades
1. Replace existing overhead facilities along DC Trolley line with
Pre-Assembled Aerial Cable
2. Replace poles
3. Replace lateral Over Head wires with tree wire
4. Install additional switches
5. Extend infrastructure for proposed new feeder for future load growth
6. Remove and trim trees as necessary
Phase 1
Scope: Install Pre-Assembled Arial Cable (PAC) along the DC Trolley Line
(Feeder
15801). The existing 3-phase primary along the DC Trolley Line will be
upgraded
to tree wire and fused as a side tap. Upgrade existing side taps off the
main
trunk with coated tree wire within the DC Transit R/W between Norton Street
and
Foxhall Road. Install tree wire along parts of Elliot Place, MacArthur
Blvd, Q
Street and Fox Hall Road.
Tree wire is rubber coated and can better withstand intermittent contact
with
trees and tree limbs.
In addition, PAC will be installed from Little Falls Substation, along
Norton
Street, and within the DC Trolley Line, to Reservoir Road, to establish
a new
feeder required to relieve customer demand.
Vegetation Management:
DC Trolley Line:
Brush mowing is completed along the DC Trolley Line. Reclamation of the
Trolley
Line includes removal of trees to permit access and enhance reliability.
Trees
have been marked for several months, to be either trimmed or removed during
this
phase.
Roadside Trees:
Regular maintenance pruning and removals are necessary in the area to
improve
reliability with the present infrastructure. In addition to the regular
maintenance pruning, Pepco will work with Urban Forestry Administration
arborists to accommodate infrastructure improvements. To date, roadside
tree
removal has not been requested, but may be required.
Construction: Pepco proposes to begin construction in 2009 and anticipates
completion by April 2010.
Community Meeting: As a part of its July 1, 2009 presentation, Pepco
will
discuss the following issues:
1. Obtaining information from applicable District agencies, relative
to
reclaiming the DC Trolley Line
2. Personal property along the DC Trolley Line
3. Reaching an agreement with the District of Columbia government on the
proposed time-line for reclaiming the DC Trolley Line
Phase 2: 2010
This project is to replace the existing open wire of Feeder 14767 with
PAC and
rearrange the load taps off the main trunk with tree wire in order to
improve
reliability by reducing the number of outages caused by contact with trees
along
MacArthur Blvd from Macomb Street to W Street, NW. .
Vegetation Management: Potentially requires the removal of up to 12 trees
along
MacArthur Blvd.
Construction: Pepco proposes to begin construction in January 2010 and
anticipates completion by May 1, 2010.
To register your support for preservation of trees in the Palisades, contact:
Ward 3 DC Councilmember Mary Cheh: mcheh@dccouncil.us; tel 202.724.8062
Mary Cheh's Chief of Staff, Dave Zvenyach: dzvenyach@dccouncil.us
Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty
Mayor’s office: dial 311
Mayor's Chief of Staff, Carrie Kohns: chiefofstaff@dc.gov; tel 202.724.8815
Mayor's Ward 3 representative, Michelle Fox: michelle.fox@dc.gov; tel 202.727.2287
Pepco representative Nathan McElroy: nhmcelroy@pepco.com; tel 202.388.2340
Urban Forestry Administration head John Thomas: John.Thomas2@dc.gov; tel 202.671.5133
Earl Eutsler from UFA (spoke at the PCA meeting): earl.eutsler@dc.gov
Casey Trees Foundation, Jim Woodworth, Director, Tree Planting: jwoodworth@caseytrees.org; tel 202.349.1894; fax 202.833.4092
Palisades Citizens Association President, Spence Spencer: williamspencer@yahoo.com
Sally Kane, Chair, PCA Environment Committee: smkane55@verizon.net; tel 202.364.0459
Area Neighborhood Commission (ANC3D)
Chair, Betsy Sandza: EBSandza@LLGM.com; tel 202.346.8036
Vice Chair, Stu Ross: sross@rdblaw.com; tel 202.966.0645
Central Palisades ANC Commissioner Tom DiTonto; tditonto@aol.com; tel 202 841-6839
All rights reserved.