Yelm residents thankful for veterans park, ask for community use of cut trees at council meeting

During a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 28, two city residents, speaking on different topics, took to the podium during the public comment portion of the meeting to thank the city for its work towards a veteran memorial park, and to ask council to allow for public use of recently logged trees.

Kenda Henderson, who has been a resident for roughly five years in Yelm, was the first of two citizens to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. She spoke regarding the discussion of the removal of several trees in a subdivision on Vancil Road.

Her background includes a biology degree and chemistry degree, along with a master’s degree in environmental management and policy.

“I’m an environmental regulator for the state. I’m just coming because there’s been some discussion about the subdivision on Vancil Road and the trees that are being possibly cut down,” Henderson said. “I understand that most of the trees are being retained. There’s just a couple that are going to be cut because of the road connection. I don’t remember exactly who sent that email, but I just wanted to request that those trees that are being cut down, because of necessity, be given back to the community. Perhaps, as chipped wood for landscaping materials for the people of Yelm, and, or, be used to display some sort of educational something at the park that talks about Gary Oaks and why it’s important we preserve them.”

Henderson added that she’d like to see those downed trees be used to give back to the community, rather than allowing people to “make a profit off them.”

According to Henderson, she received emails stating that SIPA or permit documentation listed the trees as Gary Oaks. She asked if there was a city policy in place that requires an inspection or confirmation of what the paperwork says.

“And if there’s not a policy related to that, that there’s one created so that future situations like this are avoided,” Henderson said. “If somebody wouldn’t have noticed and raised some attention to it, it’s very likely that it all would’ve been cut down or more would’ve been cut down. Once those are gone, you really can’t bring them back.”

Additionally, Henderson claimed there’s information that “our climate is going to continue to become more difficult and less favorable for many of these plants that are already struggling.” She added that it’s going to continue to become harder and less favorable for trees to grow, as well.

“We can’t bring them back once they’re gone,” Henderson said. “I’d just like some preventative measures put in place so we don’t have to be like ‘oh, I wish we would’ve thought about this 20-years ago’ when we have no more big trees. There’s a lot of research that shows they reduce heat deserts. I live out in the woods and I can guarantee you that anytime I come into town it’s 10-degrees hotter where there’s no trees.”

Gary Cooper, Yelm building and planning manager, said it was unfortunate that the SIPA check list did not mention that there were oak trees on site.

“We would’ve soon discovered it because we do visit the site,” Cooper said. “Oaks are protected under our critical areas ordinance, unless, under a rare circumstance, we do have a public works project that’s important to the city. It does look like there are two or three, maybe, that could end up being taken down. We have a four-to-one replacement policy.”

Cooper said he hates cutting down oak trees because it would take 100-years for new saplings to grow into what’s been cut down. Despite the vast timeframe, Cooper said the City of Yelm is “on it.”

The second public comment of the meeting came from Steven Slater, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran and past commander for VFW Post 5580.

He used his brief time at the podium to thank Elizabeth Jones, City of Yelm grants manager, and Cody Colt, Yelm Public Services director, for helping push the veterans memorial park project forward.

“It sounds like we’re finally going to step off and get going within short order,” Slater said. “Hopefully these people can influence the state and do something with the bypass that I’ve been watching sit still for 20 years. Cody (Colt) and Elizabeth (Jones) worked with a whole bunch of us veterans to help make this project go forward and to hear us out as to what we wanted. I really appreciate the effort and the time put forth by them.”