To the Empire Village Council, Department of Public Works, and Village Administration:
We, the undersigned residents, taxpayers, and concerned community members, call for an immediate pause on the planned removal of ten mature trees, as well as sidewalk reconstruction, associated with the Lake Street Improvements project.
The Village should address the primary stormwater problem area uphill before committing taxpayer dollars to potentially unnecessary interventions farther downhill.
Based on firsthand observations of runoff along this corridor, the primary stormwater problem area extends from the top of Wilco Road to Aylsworth Street. Yet the majority of the proposed runoff mitigation efforts are below Aylsworth, in a comparatively flat area.
The Village is already working with the National Park Service to develop stormwater mitigation plans for Wilco Road. That coordinated effort should inform the Village’s next steps. Once the strategy for Wilco Road is established, the Village can better determine what additional work is necessary farther downhill—and whether the proposed tree removal, ditch construction, and sidewalk reconstruction can be avoided or reduced.
THE COST TO TAXPAYERS DEMANDS SCRUTINY
The Village’s Lake Street bid schedule totals $248,556.73 for the grind-and-replace project and associated improvements. Of that, the schedule includes $50,975 for earthwork, $4,285.35 for a 15-inch culvert, $4,960 for riprap, $40,061 for restoration, and $11,500 to remove ten mature trees. The plans also list $1,204.80 for sidewalk removal and $25,837.58 for concrete sidewalk reconstruction—a combined listed cost of $27,042.38.
The Village should clarify why the planned project includes removing and reconstructing a stretch of sidewalk that two residents paid to build just last year, as well as the stretch farther down the road. Given that runoff does not flow along this side of the street, the Village should explain why this work is necessary and explore alternatives that would preserve the existing sidewalk while addressing stormwater management needs.
The bid schedule does not, by itself, clarify how much of the proposed work is specifically intended to address stormwater runoff or explain why these interventions are necessary in these locations. Before proceeding, the Village should identify the drainage-related costs, explain the engineering rationale for the proposed work, and demonstrate why this investment is warranted before the Wilco Road planning is complete.
The question is not simply what it costs to remove ten trees. It is whether the Village should commit to this broader scope of earthwork, drainage infrastructure, tree removal, sidewalk reconstruction, and restoration before establishing what work is actually needed—and what existing assets can reasonably be preserved.
THE IRREVERSIBLE COST OF TREE REMOVAL
Mature trees are functional green infrastructure. They are more than landscaping: they intercept rainfall, support water infiltration, and help reduce stormwater runoff. They also provide shade, habitat, and other invaluable benefits that are lost when they are removed.
Removing established trees to accommodate conventional drainage infrastructure risks sacrificing these benefits without first demonstrating that removal is necessary. The Village should evaluate less destructive alternatives and determine whether the trees can be retained while still meeting the project’s drainage objectives.
A RESPONSIBLE DECISION REQUIRES THE FULL PICTURE
Although a public meeting has taken place, important questions remain about the proposed work and the rationale for the scope of this work. Residents deserve an opportunity to understand the basis for a decision with permanent consequences for the community landscape.
We ask the Village to make the supporting information available and reconsider the plans before work proceeds. A motion to approve does not have to be the final word when important questions remain and the outcomes of ongoing planning may affect what work is truly needed.
WE ASK THE VILLAGE TO:
- Immediately pause the planned removal of the ten mature trees and all sidewalk reconstruction.
- Prioritize and complete the coordinated Wilco Road stormwater planning effort with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, then use its findings to determine what additional work, if any, is necessary farther downhill.
- Make the supporting documentation available to the public, including the drainage analysis, full project scope, itemized costs, tree-removal justification, sidewalk-removal rationale, and evaluation of alternatives that would preserve existing trees and recently completed improvements.
- Reconsider the proposed ditch construction and tree removal in light of this information, including whether the work can be reduced, redesigned, or avoided.
This is not a demand to abandon responsible infrastructure improvements. It is a demand to sequence them intelligently, spend public funds responsibly, and protect established natural assets wherever feasible.
By signing below, we express our support for this petition calling on the Empire Village Council to pause the planned removal of ten mature trees along Lake Street and meaningfully consider alternatives that preserve these trees while addressing stormwater management needs.
Signatures of concerned residents, taxpayers, and community members: