UPDATED: Port of Seattle cancels public meeting about tree-cutting project; will forge ahead to discuss a 10 percent increase in spending
UPDATED: Port of Seattle cancels public meeting about tree-cutting project; will forge ahead to discuss a 10 percent increase in spending
Port of Seattle has cancelled a public meeting about their tree-cutting project, but will go ahead with discussing increasing spending for the project in a Port commissioner meeting on Oct. 11.
file photo Patrick Robinson
Mon, 10/10/2016
By Gwen Davis
The Port of Seattle told the public weeks ago that on Mon. Oct. 10, it would host a public meeting regarding the nearly 3,000 trees it's planning on chopping down. This announcement was captured by a previous Highline Times story, by a City of SeaTac city council agenda, and by the SeaTac Community Center. However, the Highline Times discovered the day of that the Port cancelled the meeting.
See our previous coverage here.
There was speculation among residents that the meeting was cancelled to avoid negative publicity.
The Port was contacted for comments. Perry Cooper, Port public affairs manager responded that the meeting was actually scheduled for Nov. 1.
In the meantime, the Port is speeding up the pace, and tomorrow, Oct. 11 during a Port commissioner meeting, officials will discuss whether to approve increasing the tree cutting project spending by another 10 percent, according to a Port of Seattle memorandum.
The Port commissioner meeting will take place tomorrow:
Oct. 11, 2016 at 12:00 p.m.
Location: Port of Seattle Headquarters – Pier 69
2711 Alaskan Way
The public will be allowed to comment.
Lifelong SeaTac resident Roger Kadeg wrote a public letter to the Port commissioners and other elected officials. Part of it stated:
"The Port has failed miserably in any public outreach or public participation efforts for this program,” wrote Kadeg. "Our city council members themselves only recently became aware of the proposed actions; few residents are presently aware of its existence. When told of the proposed cutting of nearly 3,000 trees, the reaction is almost universal. Stunned silence, followed by comments like 'You're kidding' or 'That's crazy', and then slow outrage. It is not clear that even private property owners with trees for proposed removal are fully aware of precisely what is transpiring. Most residents are unable to make a trip to downtown Port offices or the airport to attend meetings in the middle of the workday, or read obscure Port publications. Given the large sums already expended on detailed surveys, LIDAR flights and ground truthing, and the development of large supporting reports, this failure is inexcusable."
