This past Tuesday I attended along with other Midtown and Downtown residents the City of Mobile Tree Commission meeting where the Tree Commission was being asked to approve the cutting down of 55 trees, 48 of which are Live Oaks, along the Broad Street Corridor. Here is a link to a pdf showing a mapping of the trees slated to be cut down along Broad. http://bit.ly/LiveOakMobile . More information is also available on the Facebook page: fb.me/LiveOakLobbyLOL

As you may now know, the City of Mobile Tree Commission voted 3 to 1 to allow the cutting down of 48 Live Oaks along Broad Street as part of a new streetscape plan. While many of us are in full support of the overall project to revamp and revitalize Broad Street making it more connected for pedestrians, bikers and safer for motorist, I am disturbed that our city leaders continue a pattern of destroying a vital icon, our Live Oaks, in the name of progress. We are equally disturbed that the City seems unwilling to provide answers to our concerns not only about the Live Oaks but about the project design. This vote sets a precedent whereby the City can and will pursue the destruction of the Live Oak canopy throughout Mobile, along Government Street, along Dauphin Street and in our historic neighborhoods. As someone who took part in several of the Stakeholder meetings for the Broad Street redevelopment funded by a $14 million Tiger Grant, I along with many others were blindsided by the City's last minute request for the cutting down of these trees. Over an almost 3 year period of meetings, the City was evasive about the cutting down of any Live Oaks. Until last Tuesday morning, most of the neighborhoods surrounding the project were unaware of the request to cut down the trees, it was only at the last minute were we told of the pending vote. Several neighborhood leaders and two of our City Council members asked for a delay of the vote or have it voted down until such time as an informative public meeting could be held. The Tree Commission disregarded this request based on the City's assertion that any delay would threaten the Tiger Funding. An appeal to the City Council is being considered, an appeal that would in effect delay for a much longer period of time than any one was requesting, but the Mayor and his administration have left us with few options. Our city government can not continue along this path of nondisclosure and refusal of transparency in projects that affect everyone who lives and works in Mobile. If the City's assertion that there is a hard date of June 2019 is correct, and a delay will threaten the Tiger Funds, $14 million, then this is the fault of poor project management and an unwillingness by the City's Administration to share information with the public. The project is only in phase one and based on information that is being verified the City received bids that were too high and had to redesign the project without public input. The concern now is that the project that many of us supported and help to design may in fact not be what is slated to be implemented. Our request for a short delay is for the purpose of holding a public forum where the city officials and consultants involved with Broad Street project will provide answers to these and other concerns. Please let you voices be heard on this issue before it is too late so we can protect our LIve Oaks and make certain true progress for all our neighborhoods is achieved.