the battle over the tree continues.....

6/19/07

Elizabeth,

Thank you for replying and for your comments about the 3rd Street pathway and also for your efforts in getting the pathway bushes and trees trimmed. This will definitely help. I appreciate your comments about beautification. The residents of our neighborhood place a high priority on the asthetics of our surroundings. This is clearly evident to anyone that comes by. However, along the pathway, there are no less than twelve other trees besides the large pepper tree in question. The potential benefits in crime prevention would far outweigh the asthetic value of the tree. That tree blocks a clear view of the tunnel from the street, making it difficult for police officers to regularly and easily surveil the pathway.

Yesterday, I spent about an hour and a half with Officer Fred Ayala discussing our neighborhood's vandalism issues. We walked the path and looked at the tree. Besides just blocking the view of the tunnel from the street, the tree is overhanging the roof of a home on Varni Court. It also overhangs the fence and property of the neighbor on St. Francise Ct. If the large overhanging branch were to fall, and it appears ready to do so, it would fall onto the roof of the Varni Court resident's home, possibly doing damage to the home and/or inflicting injury to the residents.

Also, other large branches are weighing down utility lines to the point that the lines are stretched down. The pathway sidewalk has been uplifted due to the trees roots and this is causing a trip hazard for pedestrians. I did some research on crime prevention through environmental design and found many helpful suggestions on the Anchorage Police Department's website, including keeping trees and bushes trimmed to enhance visibility and remove points of ambush by keeping trees and bushes trimmed at least six feet back. This tree is right up against the pedestrian pathway and could easily serve as a point of ambush.
The website is http://www.muni.org/apd1/cpted.cfm .

For these reasons the tree should be removed to:

allow police to view the entire pathway and tunnel from the street
increase the effectiveness of existing lighting which is already inadequate
remove a potential point of ambush
prevent injury and damage to residents due to overhanging branches
prevent further damage to the pathway and eliminate trip hazards to pedestrians
prevent damage to utility lines caused by overhanging branches
reduce the potential liability to the City incurred by the above
I will email you an overhead view of the pathway and the tree in question. You will be able to clearly see what I am describing.

Officer Ayala and I also discussed several other potential strategies to reduce vandalism and other crimes in our neighborhood. They included:

improving lighting along the pathway. The two existing lights (street lights) are spaced too widely to adequately illuminate the entire pathway and they are too dim, possibly indicating that they need service or replacement
repairing and enhancing the chain link fencing around the tunnel entrance to prevent ingress/egress and potential injury due to falls to stranded motorists. Officer Ayala indicated that there had been an automobile accident with the vehicle landing in the drainage ditch next to the tunnel entrance
installation of surveillance devices along the pathway and/or at the tunnel entrances
installation of signage reinforcing the Benicia Municipal Code's graffiti control ordinances
strengthening of current code and penalties for graffiti and vandalism
development of a school information program, including warning students of the potential for delay or suspension of their driving privileges due to graffiti offenses in acccordance with the CVC.
a "sting" operation and letters to merchants reminding them of the requirement to prohibit sales of spray paint to minors
the need for continued increased foot patrol of the area
support by the City for our neighborhood's crime prevention program, currently being coordinated by resident John Furtado
As you can see, much can be done. Graffiti control is costing the City of Benicia, not only in City dollars, but in our quality of life. Thank you so much for your efforts in addressing our neighborhood's concerns. We sincerely appreciate it.

On behalf of the the neighborhood,
Ross Sagun