Latest news with #RitaAmendola
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Despite lawsuit, St. Paul removes 10 of 20 mature trees from Parkview Avenue
A legal effort by a group of homeowners to save 13 mature trees from a street bordering Como Lake ended last week with most of the decades-old maples reduced to stumps on the same day residents attempted to file a legal injunction against the city. Crews contracted by St. Paul Public Works removed 10 mature trees last Thursday, the first stage in sidewalk construction along the block, which has no sidewalks on either side, as part of the Wheelock-Grotto street reconstruction project. Four homeowners had filed a request for a temporary injunction, or restraining order against tree removal, that same day, after filing a legal appeal the day before against a Ramsey County District Court decision in the city's favor. The street reconstruction project aims to install sidewalks, street lighting, new water mains and other improvements in sections of streets around East Como Boulevard, Arlington Avenue, Dale Street and Maryland Avenue and is scheduled to roll out this year and next. The four plaintiffs — Rita Amendola, Mary Jane Sommerville, Aric Wilber and Jeff Clark — maintained in their civil suit against the city that they were repeatedly assured over the course of nearly a year that the city would work with them to install sidewalks on Parkview Avenue while doing its best to preserve their mature trees, which included multiple maple trees that were at least 70 to 100 years old. They said the city previously talked up the likelihood of 'meandering' the sidewalk around the trees, and pointed to correspondence or discussions on Sept. 16, Oct. 8 and Feb. 21. To their surprise, on March 11 the city indicated it would install the sidewalk on the south side of the street alone, but it no longer mentioned 'meandering' the sidewalk for tree preservation. Instead, they woke one day in mid-March to red 'X' marks around 13 trees on one side of their block, indicating the majority of their 20 mature trees would be removed within days. The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit March 20 under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, or MERA, buying them some time as the city agreed to hold off on tree removal pending a court decision, which came down in the city's favor on March 31. Judge Edward Sheu found that 'no strict promises were made regarding tree preservation' and that removing 10 trees lacked the 'severity or quality' of a MERA violation. He noted that case law showed entire forests had been lawfully removed and replanted for major projects. While it may take decades for a sapling to become a mature tree, 'the Maple trees are not endangered, and they can and will be replaced,' he wrote. In its legal response to the lawsuit, the city attorney's office noted that the first phase alone of the Wheelock-Grotto project will cost $10 million, and any delay will add to costs borne by taxpayers, triggering the need for a $1 million bond. 'To potentially shutter construction for an entire already limited weather-related season with rising inflationary prices and construction costs demands that a significant bond be posted by the plaintiffs,' wrote an assistant city attorney in a legal filing on March 26. 'Status quo will be maintained as the trees will be replanted.' In court filings, the city 'seemed to believe that their one-to-one replacement of trees on our block would make up for the destruction of 70-plus-year-old Maple trees,' wrote Sommerville, in an open letter to City Council Member HwaJeong Kim and other city officials this weekend. The city ultimately removed 10 trees last Thursday, the day after residents filed their appeal of Sheu's order. 'I was also deeply disappointed in the process (through which) the city plowed through this initiative,' Sommerville wrote. 'The city claimed to be 'engaging' with its citizenry throughout, but lied to us repeatedly. In the end, it was clear that the city would do what they wanted all along.' Letters: We won't take attacks on Social Security lying down Letters: Instead of good governance, we get stunts, drama and lawsuits in St. Paul Allen seeks Ward 4 seat; Hamline-Midway Coalition disavows Hanson campaign Twin Cities restaurateur David Burley dies in motorcycle accident Rob Clapp: I'm invested in St. Paul. Work with me, city officials Sommerville said that adding insult to injury, she received an estimate in the mail for $13,600 'for our house alone,' she wrote. 'That was certainly salt in the wound.' Work trucks arrived Thursday, and tree after tree was removed by 'noise-deafening saws,' she wrote. 'When I was brave enough to go outside, after all the trucks departed, I didn't recognize my yard, nor my street,' Sommerville wrote. 'The rope ladder swing that my husband built during COVID lay on the ground. … My family and neighbors are heartbroken. But we are also very frustrated and angry.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parkview Avenue residents file emergency injunction against St. Paul to save their trees
Near the northeast edge of Como Lake, four residents on a single block of Parkview Avenue have banded together to file an emergency injunction against the city of St. Paul. Their goal? Stopping the city from tearing down 13 mature trees on Monday morning. In their legal filing, homeowners Rita Amendola, Mary Jane Sommerville, Aric Wilber and Jeff Clark maintain they were assured by the city that it would 'would do everything possible to preserve neighborhood trees' as it pursued sidewalk improvements for the Wheelock-Grotto street reconstruction project this year and next. The homeowners said they were told 'meandering' new sidewalks will be built around some 20 mature trees on their block as an alternative to tree removal. Instead, on March 17, they were taken aback to find that 13 of the 20 trees had been marked with a red X for removal, with the designated removal date being March 24. The four homeowners filed their request for a temporary restraining order against tree removal in Ramsey County District Court on Thursday, and the case was assigned to Judge Edward Sheu on Friday. The request for a temporary injunction, which was filed by an attorney with Madia Law, cites emergency legal protections for public resources under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, and notes that the city has yet to solicit bids for the sidewalk reconstruction or hold a public hearing on the work, making the haste in removing trees unnecessary. On Friday evening, a spokesperson for St. Paul Public Works said the contractor had been instructed not to remove any trees on Monday. In an interview Thursday, Sommerville said residents worked closely with the city to plan for weeks, if not months, for tree preservation. The city indicated it needed to update sidewalks to keep up with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. 'We said, we understand that, but could you just do one side of the street?' Sommerville said. 'They said OK. And then the city came out and marked every single old growth tree with a big red X for removal.' A city forester came out Thursday to inspect the site, and some 20 residents in the area urged the staffer to hold off on tree removal, she said. The injunction request notes the city council recently considered new rules surrounding tree preservation and replacement during public projects, but put final consideration on hold for six months for fine-tuning. The neighborhood street reconstruction project spans sections of streets around East Como Boulevard, Arlington Avenue, Dale Street and Maryland Avenue and is scheduled to roll out this year and next. A June 2024 notice to residents indicates the project is intended to improve street pavement, curb and gutter, street lighting, sidewalks, water mains and storm sewers, as well as improve pedestrian safety by filling in missing sidewalk gaps. Local News | Developer plans six-story, mixed-use project at Grand Avenue and Victoria Street in St. Paul Local News | Jason Adkins: Measuring the economic impact of the Catholic Church in Minnesota Local News | St. Paul mayor says council has 'plunged the city into crisis' by blocking garbage truck yard Local News | Minnesota Wild, St. Paul Saints make their pitches to state lawmakers for major bonding dollars Local News | First tow of 2025 reaches Mississippi River at Hastings
CBS News
21-03-2025
- CBS News
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.
