St. Paul residents angered by plans to cut down dozens of trees in Como Park
In the Twin Cities, an "X" marks the spot where dozens of trees are set to be cut down.
They all stand along one street in St. Paul where they have been part of the Como Park neighborhood for decades.
For Rita Amendola, these towering trees on her street, which have been standing for decades, are not just part of the scenery.
"I was very upset about losing it… very upset, I haven't cried yet but I will," said Amendola.
Another resident said this about the neighborhood's connection to the trees: "All of these trees are like our children."
For the residents that live on Parkview in the Como Park neighborhood of St. Paul, these trees are part of their family.
"Came home Monday and when we all got home, we noticed a red x on every tree on the south side of the street," said Amendola.
Laid out in the City of St. Paul's Wheelock-Grotto Reconstruction Project plan, dozens of trees will be removed to install sidewalks and work on underground utilities.
But neighbors say the city wasn't transparent in their plans.
"When they X'd every single tree with the mark of death we felt like that was all baloney. We were satisfied with our deal with the sidewalk and then they came in and marked everything to be cut down," said Amendola. "We feel like we were misled to what the project was going to be."
Now, this tight-knit community is trying to fight back.
"Here we are at a standstill, and we are working on a cease-and-desist order," said Amendola.
In a lawsuit against the city of Saint Paul, they claim that the street will experience "immediate and irreparable loss."
But even as they try to fight back, they are anticipating the negative impacts of losing these trees.
"Its home value is around 10-15 thousand more and if you remove these trees there is going to be a gaping hole and it won't be as appealing," said Amendola.
But home value isn't the only thing that concerns residents, loss of wildlife is another major factor.
"Environmentally with the animals and the wildlife we are very concerned about injuring the wildlife," said Amendola.
For residents of Parkview Street, it isn't about the sidewalks. It's about preserving the roots of their community. For now, they wait as the trees that have stood for generations hang in the balance.
WCCO reached out to the City of St. Paul for comment and have not yet heard back.
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