Dear City Council, I am pleased to see that the Heritage Tree Ordinance is nearing adoption. As you move on, please do pay attention to how the new ordinance is implemented so that it has a chance to achieve the purpose you intend – to preserve and develop a healthy, diverse tree canopy in Menlo Park. It is imperative that easy public access to all permit applications and removal permits be established speedily, that the public works director and city arborist have adequate resources to implement the new system, and that baseline canopy data be collected now and monitored actively. Those steps require extra effort by city staff, and active encouragement by City Council, but they will allow the ordinance to function as intended. I urge you to make the benefits promised by the new ordinance a reality for the benefit of the whole Menlo Park community. Horace Nash Member, Heritage Tree Task Force ------------------------------------------- NOTICE: This email and all attachments are confidential, may be legally privileged, and are intended solely for the individual or entity to whom the email is addressed. However, mistakes sometimes happen in addressing emails. If you believe that you are not an intended recipient, please stop reading immediately. Do not copy, forward, or rely on the contents in any way. Notify the sender and/or Fenwick & West LLP by telephone at (650) 988-8500 and then delete or destroy any copy of this email and its attachments. Sender reserves and asserts all rights to confidentiality, including all privileges that may apply. Received on Tue Nov 19 2019 - 13:24:10 PST
