Wednesday, April 1, 2020

And Another

H Street carnage...

Outside drive to get out and enjoy the beautiful beach day.   Then I come across this recent carnage on H Street, not far from the office.  The older Pine trees in this area can't take anymore tree topping.  This is what the trees in the North can expect in the years to come.

Click on each picture for a closer look:







9 comments:

JoAnne said...

I am hoping that with what the world is experiencing right now that here in Surfside the realization will come that butchering trees, worrying about lights offending some will be put to rest! Really how important are these issues? It makes me sad to drive around our area now! Every time it seems even more trees have been destroyed and for what truly good reason?

Doug Malley said...

That is why when the time comes for our next topping unfortunately the trunks will be debranched and cut to about 8 to 10 feet in height and then they will be chainsawed into yard art. Bears, Raccoons, Salmon, some thing other than complaint generators.

Sorry even at this time the pine trees left on our lot look like crap, pines do not like topping. We have Blue Spruce at home that take OK to trimming and shaping, and a lot of Arborvitae but I understand Surfside deer eat them.

Guess you just have bushes here in Surfside!

Steve Cox said...

There was a really nice cluster of Pines 2 lots north of our place. Most of them are on a vacant lot, now with a for sale sign posted. When we looked north from our north-facing windows, we would see this pretty cluster of trees about 20 to 24 feet tall, varying in height. Last time I looked north I saw the house on the other side of the vacant lot. All of the trees had been cut like a flat-top, about 7 feet tall.

The lot next to it south, was purchased last year, and has a house being built on it. My neighbor's lot has a few trees a few feet tall, but between the cluster and our place there are no trees more than several feet tall. Last year, an unbuilt lot across the street was topped at about 12 feet. The lot is by the 317 trail, and had been mowed once a year, and all of the probably 30 trees had most of the lower branches removed so some clearance. it looked kind of park-like. The trees were beautiful, and none were much more than 20 feet tall. The trees look ridiculous and shameful now.

It's disturbing that our governance is such that the preferences of a few members has resulted in this drive to destroy the visual landscape of the community. It looks like hell ! It is really funny that some in the community still imagine this as a gated community some day, and gripe about the RVs, and needing more compliance officers. A Trustee I spoke with recently, a J place owner, kept referring to the community as "Surfside Estates". I believe that was an early conception of the community, long since abandoned.

A well planned and nicely landscaped community this is not. Get real !

JoAnne said...

I have a question, are tree complaints still being received? There is nothing on the “official” website to inform the members what the current status is! And if so who is putting them in? Members? I think not!

Steve Cox said...

You may have seen my suggestion that there be a moratorium on tree restrictions due to the loss of income that will be substantial among members. I just chose a strand with no comments - the 4th one I believe. In several days there hasn't been any response or comments. This seems like a no-brainer, but the BPOT has been totally committed to sustaining this, and are apparently deaf to any other possibilities. As I have mentioned, Mr. Minich thinks it's a non-issue.

We know for a fact that most of these "complaints" are generated by Clancy and others involved with the Board.

At the same time, Mr. Olds and Mrs. deLeest insist that there are no "bogus" complaints being filed, and that is NOT true. We know otherwise, so that makes their insistence even more irritating. This is fraud !

George Miller said...

Go to Pacific County Tax Sifter. Put in your last name. It will bring your property up. Click on map sifter. Click on your neighbors lot. It will bring up their name and mailing address. Do not count on the map for accuracy. It is slightly off.

JoAnne said...

Doug Malley, did you receive a complaint so therefore you had to cut trees?

Doug Malley said...

When we bought our lot last year the trees had been recently trimmed (topped), I do not like the look of them at all! Not a natural look for pine trees, they just need to be allowed to grow and flourish.

We have not received a complaint but since we are on I Street I am sure it will come sooner than later. The trees just look terrible and butchered to me, rather than to slowly kill them with trimming and topping at large expense I will just do as I said and have them carved into yard art. I may even become a chainsaw artist myself!

No one lot owner or group of lot owners should ever be entitled to enforce another land owner to destroy the natural beauty of their property, but obviously in some HOA’s that is allowed and a top priority.

Lot may go up for sale once the Corona dies down but we’ll see!

JoAnne said...

This makes me sad to think people are leaving because of the actions of a few. That is a fact by the way! We actually thought about selling and moving when we were going through our problem last year! We aren’t giving up and are hoping for a change in the atmosphere after this years annual meeting!
We must look at our covenants and for sure get on board with the internet. There are so many things that can be improved with that improvement, most importantly a dialogue between the members and the BOT