HELENA — The City of Helena has announced a January 5 public meeting for residents to give feedback on plans to remove the large boulevard trees along Rodney Street.
Earlier this month Rodney Street residents expressed concern when they were given just a few days' notice that the city planned to remove all the boulevard trees along the street.
The city had originally planned to remove about 14 trees deemed damaged or compromised during the water and sewer replacement project.
When four trees that had not been marked for removal fell during the early November windstorm the city decided that all the boulevard trees needed to come down.
At a city commission administrative meeting, city leaders expressed concern over the city being liable if trees known to be compromised fell and caused damage or injury. However, they also acknowledged residents' concerns with the short notice and decided to delay the start of the project.
Karen Reese reached out to MTN when she learned of the tree removal project earlier this month, and what she hopes comes out of next week's meeting.
"I just would like more people aware of it. So, you know, more people want to weigh in on their concerns or their thoughts or their recommendations that they'd be able to join the meeting," said Reese.
The city says it will share information with residents from the analysis of the tree's structural integrity and discuss plans for replacing the trees.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 5 in room 326 of the City-County Building (316 N Park Ave.). Residents can also attend the meeting virtually through Zoom. People can also visit the City's Event Calendar for meeting details.
