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Neighborhood upset with city's plans to uproot trees

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By MELISSA LEE / For the Lincoln Journal Star

Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:26:25 am CDT

Linda Vollenweider’s planted so many trees in Lincoln, people used to call her “the tree lady.”

It all started in 1993 with a phone call to the Natural Resource District about grant money available to help bring more trees to  neighborhoods, parks and schools.

To her surprise, Vollenweider secured the funds. Then she rounded up locals and started planting—and planting. All told, she brought 374 trees to Lincoln.

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But now, 91 of them may be in trouble.

Some of the flowering pear, ash and crab trees that line Coddington Avenue between West Van Dorn and West A streets would be cut down if a city plan to widen Coddington is approved and funded.

That’s caused unrest among some residents like Vollenweider who live in the affected area in southwest Lincoln.

 The trees, they say, not only have aesthetic value but also reflect the commitment of those who worked to secure precious NRD grant money and improve the city.

“The trees line the streets so pretty. They’re really a source of neighborhood pride,” said Vollenweider, an employee with Lincoln City Libraries. “To tear them down, it just seems dumb.”

Earlier this month, city officials shelved the project while they await some $4 million to $6 million for construction. No one knows when those funds will come through—it could be as long as 10 years—but as time passes, Vollenweider and other Coddington residents feel they’re playing an uneasy waiting game.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen to those trees, and that’s hard,” she said.

The city’s plans, which are about 60 percent complete, call for Coddington to be widened from two to four lanes to accommodate what officials expect to be increasingly heavy traffic.

Turn lanes, raised medians and more trail space are also planned.

But all this can come only at the expense of the trees.

Designers toyed with alternative plans to try to avoid cutting them down, said Reggi Carlson, a specialist with The Schemmer Associates Inc., which is working with the city on the Coddington project. But in the end, the trees couldn’t be saved.

“It’s always sad when that happens,” she said. “But I can say that the city will work to help replant trees.

“Public support for the project seems to have grown as locals understand the need for more traffic lanes, added Kent Evans, a design engineer with the city.

Depending on when funding comes through, the project’s timing may be beneficial for some of the trees, Carlson said. For example, the lifespan of flowering pear trees is 25 to 30 years, and by the time construction begins, they could be nearing the end of that span.

“So it might be a good time to start looking at replanting anyway,” he said.

Vollenweider simply doesn’t see the need.

Widening Coddington will only bring unneeded traffic to her neighborhood, she said, and it’s not worth the loss of the trees.

“I went crazy getting all those trees, and now this,” she said. “Now they want to build a superhighway through our neighborhood. It’s just ridiculous.”


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S. Codd. Patron wrote on May 15, 2006 3:31 am:
" I have a hard time with the City's plan to destroy such a serene and close-knit atmosphere that exists within the Coddington Neighborhood. I don't live in this area, but have worked within it for almost seven years and I have a strong sense of belonging in this area. I feel that Mayor Seng would never allow such desecration of her beloved Northeast district (from Havelock to North Cotner, etc.), so why is it that the City would seek to destroy the beauty, sense of community and efforts of the Coddington residents? Sometimes, waiting at a traffic light is worth it when you can stop yourself long enough to look around and appreciate what lies before you. "
Ranae wrote on May 15, 2006 7:27 am:
" It's ridiculous the city hasn't widen the street already. There is too much traffic for a 2 lane rd. It's time to pull out the shovel & start replanting the trees. Quit complaining about a street project that should have been done years ago. The traffic is already there & getting worse everyday. "
dt wrote on May 15, 2006 9:13 am:
" My 1st grade son is learning about the jungles and the wildlife that needs them. He knows the reasons why trees are important. We have talked about the trees in Lincoln also. He saw that a branch fell off a tree in my neighborhood and saw some guys picking it up this morning. He was really concerned that they were going to cut down the whole tree because of it. I think it is great when kids show concern about important issues and it also shows that he was listening in school. How am I to explain if he sees a bunch of trees cut down? We are told that we should teach our kids about resources and the importance. "
O'Keefe wrote on May 15, 2006 9:19 am:
" If I lived near Coddington, I'd be less concerned with the trees being felled and more concerned with a widened roadway that will channel more traffic at greater speeds by my front door. Surely that will make the area much less attractive than losing trees that can always be replanted. Once widened, the Coddington of today will never be narrowed again, reducing future property values on one of Lincoln's most graceful and elegant parkways for time immemorial. "
Mike wrote on May 15, 2006 11:36 am:
" Why does the city even build roads that are two lanes? Hasn't anyone learned from the fiasco that is 27th street that Lincoln is growing and we will eventually have to widen streets? Now the city has to wait for these funds to come available when they could have gotten them up front and just built the road in the beginning as four lanes. The city needs to start planning ahead on these issues so it will be more cost effective and less disruptive to traffic to get it all over at once. "
Jan wrote on May 15, 2006 12:32 pm:
" This is laughable. Everyone complains about the traffic in Lincoln but when it comes to widening a street it's oh no not my street. "
Gray wrote on May 15, 2006 12:51 pm:
" Vollenweider obviously has an unlimited amount of time to get from point a to point b, while travelling in lincoln. I do live in the Coddington area, and I say try driving past Roper School at 8:00 am or 3:00 PM on a school day, then tell me we don't need to widen Coddington. This is the same tired old argument that's been used on 27th from south to hiway 2, and 48th south of o st. Let's face it, at some point we have to sacrifice a few trees to create a large city infrastructure. "
Pat wrote on May 15, 2006 1:50 pm:
" I travel South Coddington Street at least four times per day and I agree that the traffic can sometimes be a pain, but I do not believe the plan to make a 4-lane street with a turning lane is necessary. A center turn lane should be sufficient. A sidewalk to Van Dorn is definitely necessity, but I would think the bike path and sidewalk could be one and the same--not one on each side of the street. "
dj wrote on May 15, 2006 2:34 pm:
" If widening the street will mean destroying the trees, then, unless the city plans to purchase the ground on which they are planted, the trees must have been planted on the city right-of-way from the beginning. If that's the case, the tree planters have only themselves to blame. They should have asked the city where they could safely plant the trees to allow for future expansion. "

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