Kudos to Lois Vance, who is responsible for cutting back the tangled mass of vegetation to the right of the Woods Estate entrance. When you drive by, note the big patch where a dead tree, dead vines and weeds once stood.
Residents had complained for the past year that the vegetation along the fence has become overgrown and unsightly. More important, the growth is beginning to present a visual barrier to oncoming traffic. Bob Rehak, board member responsible for maintenance, advocates we wait until the Bear Branch Trail Association completes a year-long vine control test on a small section of Northpark because, as he says, “a vine fix is not as simple as just cutting vines.”
Lois did not think this included dead vines, so she called the City (311) to get their assessment of the overgrown vegetation and associated visibility problem. On Friday, a city inspector met with Lois and resident Winnard Kothmann. He agreed to the need for trimming back the overgrowth.
On Saturday, City landscaping crews showed up, and Lois, Winnard and Debbie Kothmann were on hand to ensure extraction of only the dead vegetation. Lois and husband George returned Sunday morning to continue the clean up.
“Those of us who enter at Woods Estate will notice it right away. But it’s only a start,” said Lois. “We still haven't tackled the problem with reduced visibility. If you continue looking to the right, the vegetation line has several trees buried under weeds and dead vines. We can do a better job of trimming this back. With volunteer help, we can replace the weeds with something that is native, hardy and more attractive.”
So we’d like to hear from any residents who are interested in participating in a “chain saw party” to help trim away debris and create a new edge for the maintenance crews to maintain.
