EARTH DAY TREE MASSACRE: City clearcuts stretch of Main Street, shocks residents week before public meeting

About two weeks ago Franklin residents were shocked to find 25 trees, mostly on N. Main also three on W. Madison, spray-painted with a large fluorescent X, which as we recall from the previous mis-administration of Mayor Fred Paris, signified that they were to be cut down. (On Arbor Day 2010, FOX 59 did a story on Paris' plan to cut down over a hundred trees in the 2008 flood properties purchased by the City. Deja vu?)

Complaints flooded city hall phone lines. Confusion was rampant, both among the public and among city officials. Most of these trees were street trees, which are under the control of the Tree Board. Brand-new Mayor Joe McGuinness quickly scheduled an "informational meeting":

http://www.franklin-in.gov/egov/apps/events/calendar.egov?path=03&action=details&id=2773&fDD=-0

Public Information Meeting: N. Main Street Reconstruction Project
Event Date: April 25th, 2012 at 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM

This is a public meeting.
Event Location: City Hall - 70 E. Monroe Street Franklin , IN 46131

All of the concerned citizens were given to understand that nothing would happen until AFTER the public meeting. But on Wednesday of last week residents were shocked to observe crews cutting down the marked trees! Only one in the clear-cut blocks survived, due to a warning sign placed on it by a feisty lady. One of three was cut on W. Madison - I assume the remaining two are slated for destruction TOMORROW - and one that was NOT marked, on private property as well, was cut with NO NOTICE!

This project has been a top-down process, almost completely devoid of public input, for TEN YEARS. It was shelved by the late Mayor Blankenship, but revived by the super-corrupt, super-ignorant former mayor Paris. There was ONE public hearing, in Dec. 2008. Given the long history of the project, and the many significant changes to it, especially in recent years and mainly due to my protests, the dearth of public project is not only extremely unusual for a FEDERAL-AID project, federal laws and INDOT's own standards have been violated. There is a million-dollar drainage boondoggle in this project, which the local newspaper has covered up, particularly in recent months. An action for a federal injunction is in the works.

More photos from a N. Main resident:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.217795088270356.52623.188934667823065&type=1

Some of the photos taken by me:

Formerly leafy 300 - 400 blocks of N. Main St. in Franklin. Last week's clear-cut extended from corner at left,  alley at right, north to the curve - one tree was spared due to homeowner placing a sign on it. Trees at N. Main and Madison were also cut.

POLITICAN, SPARE THAT TREE! The lone tree saved from the clearcut: "Don't touch this tree until after the April 25th MAIN ST MEETING S. Cataldi [Sharon Cataldi]

Former Redevelopment Commission member Ted Grossnickle tried unsuccessfully for months to get specifics on the N. Main St. Rehabilitation Project, thought that his street tree would be okay until the public meeting on the 25th, as did all of his neighbors, and all were shocked to see them cut late last week (that's neighbor Jack Wood pointing at the stump).

The 80+ year old tree at the NE corner of Main and Madison wasn't even marked for removal, and owners Wadsworth Group (who also run the candy store on Jefferson) received no notice - poof, it's gone! (That's the Johnson Co. Museum at left.)

Mike Wadsworth's (who recently battled terminal cancer) new 80-year-old stump.

A beautiful street tree was cut next to Dr. Province's historic office, across Main from Wadsworth's property. Two more lovely trees to the left, on Madison, are also marked for cutting. These are across Madison from Franklin's historic old city hall/post office building. Half of a MILLION-DOLLAR federally-funded DRAINAGE BOONDOGGLE inserted into the N. Main Project (one of Franklin's many unreported stories) is slated to run down Madison, which is a historic brick street under the asphalt.

My photos are free for re-use, with attribution. Larger resolutions are available on request. More will be posted online a.s.a.p., and an update issued. Feel free to contact me any time, including today. I have contact information for the various parties involved in this story - including the Mayor's cell #.

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