Park’s neighbors surprised by trees being cleared for sewer work
Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/41802/
The removal of a swath of trees from Wildwood Park in west Fayetteville is a sign that the $183 million Wastewater System Improvement Project is moving forward.
The lack of notification to area residents, however, marks the city’s standard operating procedure.
Residents are not notified of such work unless they are directly affected by it, said Susan Thomas, public information/policy advisor. "If it doesn’t have a direct impact on their services or access to their property, there’s not a policy to notify them," Thomas said. While the city didn’t have to notify residents, it would have been the right thing to do and there is no reason for the city not to notify the neighbors, said Sue Jensen, a resident of the neighborhood.
The bulldozers and other heavy equipment that cleared 50-foot wide section through the edge of the park may not have affected the neighbors in the manner that would prompt notification, but it still had an effect on the, Jensen said. "It could give you a heart attack if it was com- ing behind your house," she said of the clearing.
It was also difficult to find a city official who knew what was going on, Jensen said. It took two days to get an explanation after placing calls with various city divisions, she said.
Jensen has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and walks her dogs through the area that was cleared. The area contained several varieties of hardwood trees and dense vegetation, she said.
Although the trees have been removed, it would be nice if the area could be made more accessible to neighbors, Jensen said. While the city probably won’t build a trail, it could put down a heavy mulch and make the area more available to the public, she said.
Wildwood Park, which is located near Interstate 540 ’s Porter Road exit, was dedicated to the Parks Department after a sewer line was put in. The line was installed in the late 1970s, while the park was dedicated as part of a subsequent development.
Connie Edmonston, parks director, said that while no one likes to see the area clear cut, the parks department knew about the sewer line when it accepted the dedication. "Yeah, it hurts parks, but that’s why they have easements, to let you know someday this might be happening," Edmonston said.
The park is classified by the department as a natural area and is there for the preservation of greenspace, Edmonston said, which is not regularly maintained. She is confident that the area will be restored to the same condition it was in.
The construction contract stipulates that the area must be returned to the state it was in before work began, said Hugh Kelso of the RJN Group, the engineering firm supervising the work.
The project is one of three westside line projects that are under contract, Kelso said. The only other parks that will be impacted by the work are the Gary Hampton Softball Complex, a trail by Joyce Boulevard, and Razorback and Paradise golf courses.
Kelso said the conditions of the area before the work dictate how the contractor will restore the area. If the area was sodded before the work it will be replaced with sod, he said, but if it can be seeded and watered, that will be done.
Although it is unfortunate some residents are upset by the work, Kelso said, others have been pleased. One resident actually served lunch to a construction crew, he said. "We’re going to have some problems and some complaints putting in 20 miles of sewer," he said.
Tom Hubbard, water and sewer meter operations manager, said that while his department does some easement maintenance, it often can perform repairs without having to disrupt an area. Sometimes work can be done from manholes on either side of an area, though if there were some type of pipe failure in the middle, he said, they would have to get their equipment in.
Thomas encouraged residents to contact Shannon Jones with the engineering office if they have questions about the sewer project. Jones can be reached at 575-8206.