Dear Red Phone,
Shortly after the city started construction of the current phase of the Monterey Road streetscape project earlier this month, I noticed that several trees in the downtown median strip are tagged for removal. How many trees are going to be removed, and why did the city determine they should be removed?
Dear Reader,
Morgan Hill Communications Manager Maureen Tobin said a total of 11 trees—decked with red paper notices alerting witnesses to their pending removal—will be removed from the median strip as the contractor proceeds with the Monterey Road improvements. Five of these trees were determined by arborists to be in poor health. Four small trees will be removed from the median intersection at Third Street and Monterey Road, in order to “open up the median ‘plaza’ areas.”
“The goal was to keep as many large mature trees as possible,” Tobin said.
The small, healthy trees to be removed will not be saved and replanted elsewhere. But those to be removed—except for those at Monterey Road’s intersections with First and Third streets—will be replaced with new young healthy trees, Tobin added.
The trees will be removed next week.
The $2.1 million Monterey Road streetscape project will upgrade irrigation and electrical utilities on the street, from Main to Dunne avenues. It is expected to be completed by the end of October.
This project is part of the city’s overall downtown “placemaking investment strategy,” which includes a number of large-scale infrastructure upgrades. The Fourth Street Garage, reconstruction of Third and Fourth streets, utility undergrounding on a number of downtown side streets, public art projects and new recreation facilities are part of this strategy. The effort is funded by about $25 million in bond proceeds left over from the Redevelopment Agency, which was shut down by the state in 2012.
