“review,”

West Van finance director's view enhancement queried

A CITIZEN task force will be reactivated to take another look at tree cutting in West Vancouver's Caulfeild Park.

WEST VANCOUVER ‘DISTRICT COUNCIL By Maureen Curtis

The controversy over several

- cutting incidents in what parks and recreation director Kevin Pike called “West Vancouver's most scrutinized park,” has spanned five years and does not seem to be abut-

- Vancouver - District

Council recently received a report on the December 1993 cutting of trees in the park from municipal manager Doug Aflan. Council agreed that there should be a 30- day posting period before addition- al tree work is done in Caulfeild Park, , Over Coun. Pat Boname’s ‘protests, council also decided to reactivate the task force assembled “several years ago-to study.a 1989 tree cutting incident in the park that

“benefitted West Vancouver finance ‘director George Horwood’ 's nearby -

‘property, “Since 1989 there has been a lot

“of time ‘arid expense and emotion

on the part of staff and members of

the community..." said Coun. Pat -Boname. '

Any. further time. and money.

should. be‘ used for: work in the ~ park, rather than more study, ‘said

“. Boname.

“The intention i is not to open it

‘all wide again and undo the work of

~ the task force, but to go back and

said. Coun. Diana Hutchinson.

According to Pike, 34 park trees

below the Horwood property were

*--cut:in 1989 to create “view corri-

dors," as agreed to by the former

municipal parks and © Fecreation

director, 2.0

4 Trees were also removed at the

.. Tequest of another local property owner. ._.

: - Park users protested and council

+. appointed Ed Peck to conduct a

‘study. and created a task force to . examine the issue and make recom- ~ mendations, ; os ; .-. The findings ©. became — the ’ Caulfeitd “Park Management Plan

(CPMP),. |. When several trees were cut in

"December 1993, also at Horwood's

' request, local resident Steve Aberle

"-: questioned the procedure followed.

The manager’s report on the incident concladed that procedures

Inid out in the plan and West Vancouver's Tree Management Policy (TMP) had been followed. Decisions on the tree cutting had been made by municipal

arborist Shirley Nicolson, and tie.

Horwoods had paid for replanting the area in which trees were cut.

As well, Pike concluded that staff had gone out of their way to treat the Horwoods impartially,

“Suspicions were aroused no matter what was done,” he said in his report.

In a recent letter to council, Aberie disagreed that CPMP and TMP guidelines had been followed.

How could a “natural feeling” prevail, as stipulated in the CPMP, when trees are being cut in a land- scape “already — littered — with stumps...” he asked,

Aberle did not agree that the municipality had used the balance of vegetation that existed in 1980 as a guideline or that the re-plant- ing that occurred was as set by the plan.

- He went on to question whether the December 1993 removal of three firs could be considered ' ree thinning and window pruning,” described in the si wage posted that November.

Aberle also questioned the prin- |

ciple of staff compromising and working with residents to accom- modate requests for views.

“In this case, compromise has come to mean death by attrition,” said Aberle.

_He- discounted the manager's .

argument that outright rejection of applications for tree removal often results in clandestine cutting. “Does he then. recommend that no application be rejected, since every rejection is a potential cata- lyst for vandalism?” Aberle asked. He recommended council over- see all tree cutting applications from municipal staff. or council members and asked the municipali-

ty to acknowledge that the extent of .

tree removal had been “excessive and unfortunate.” ; ‘ Task «force . member - Bob Sexsmith urged council to follow Aberle’s recommendations. But fellow task force member

and professional forester Glen

Paterson felt the municipality should leave the past behind and

work to implement its management’ _ plan.

He emphasized maintenance of the 1980 vegetation and view bal- ance along with windowing ‘and removal of “truly dangerous trees.”

_ -Paterson said that it would be a. mistake not to plan the future of the ; park forests.

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