Scio residents: North Maple Road improvements too drastic
Brian Noonan (on left) and Mike Scarfo stand near a more than 200-year-old tree that is inside the road right of way.
Lisa Allmendinger |AnnArbor.com
The residents are concerned that almost 200 trees will be removed along the unpaved limestone road as part of a road improvement project on North Maple from Stein to within 400 feet of Joy Road.
Planned are tree removal, ditching, berm removal, shaping of the existing limestone surface and dust control as part of an agreement between the Road Commission and Webster, Scio, Ann Arbor and Northfield townships.
“The bottom line is that everyone who lives on Maple Road wants a better road bed and some minimal ditching south of the Welch Drain with minimal tree removal,” said Mike Scarfo, who has gotten neighbors together at his home to discuss the scope of the project. The ditching he referred to would run along the east side of North Maple from the drain to Stein Road.
Residents agree that something needs to be done to stop the flooding and washout that takes place on the road, but they do not want the improvements to ruin the natural beauty of the road and the trees adjacent to it.
Water from adjacent farm fields streams north on both sides of the road to get to Welch Drain, Scarfo said. He said the water crosses over the road from the east and causes flooding on properties to the west.
"The problem does not occur north of the Welch Drain," he said.
A sand and gravel bar in a creek at the front of Brian Noonan's property caused by road flooding erosion.
Lisa Allmendinger | AnnArbor.com
A group of residents that would be most directly affected by the proposed improvements — and tree removal — invited Road Commission officials to walk the area with them to view the water and tree issues.
Residents have taken photos and video of the damage caused to the road and their properties during recent heavy rains and delivered the images to road commissioners.
Brian Noonan said he had more than $15,000 in damage when water flooded his basement and washed out his driveway.
Neighbors said they like the rural character of the road and don’t want it to become a freeway for speeding vehicles.
“When you widen and open it, people could go 55 miles per hour,” Noonan said.
A view of rustic North Maple Road in Scio Township.
Lisa Allmendinger | AnnArbor.com
Several residents at a recent Road Commission meeting said they moved to the area for its rustic qualities and stately trees and were concerned that more than 200 have been marked for removal on both sides of the road.
“Once those trees got marked the whole neighborhood was devastated,” said Susan Scarfo. “Please don’t make a freeway out of it.”
She said the trees in her front yard and in the road's right-of-way are valued at $50,000. If the Road Commission took them all out, she said, “the ditch will be at my front door. I’m begging you to listen and think about this.”
“We think this is overkill,” said another resident. “We want the road improved a bit but not made into a highway. It’s like taking a sledgehammer to an ant.”
Jim Harmon, the Road Commission's director of operations, said the road lacked good drainage and it had been staked by right of way, “it is not our intention to put it back on center, we plan to maintain the current alignment.”
But, he said, the Road Commission needs to address the safety concerns and drainage issues.
Road Commissioner Ken Schwartz said he’s sensitive to the tree removal and hoped that the “least drastic means” would be employed to improve the road.
Concerned residents said they’d like to see a plan — something that’s been updated since the 1993 proposal, because the road has changed considerably since then.
One suggestion was to trench only the east side of the road from Stein to the creek and remove a crossover culvert to force the water into the Welch Drain.
Steve Puuri, managing director of the Road Commission, said additional meetings are planned with residents about the planned project and letters will go out to residents regarding tree removal. Ann Arbor and Scio townships have combined resources for about $100,000 worth of improvements to North Maple Road. In addition, Webster and Northfield townships have also signed onto this four-township road agreement, which totals about $125,000.
Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com who covers the Road Commission. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.
Comments
Goober
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 11:01 a.m.
Maybe the Washtenaw County Road Commission is learning from the Ann Arbor Mayor and Ann Arbor City Council - that they can do what they want and totally ignore what is best for all citizens and residents.
djc
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 10:14 a.m.
@salinemary - You have got to be kidding! Granted those trees on Textile were old, but they were also *rotten* to the core. They had all lost major limbs and had deep cracks in their trunks as a result. You could see through them. Several had dead limbs that hadn't yet snapped off. The one just to the west of the driveway came down in a June thunderstorm that had high winds. Luckily, it blew across the property owner's driveway and not across Textile and on top of a vehicle, to kill or maim someone. Truthfully, they were a disaster just waiting to happen.
Salinemary
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
The cities, the townships and the Road Commission all pretend to listen to the concerns of those affected. The truth of the matter is that they have already decided what to do and we can't stop them from doing it. Witness the recent removal of beautiful old growth trees on Textile Rd. west of Lohr to make room for the "green belt connection".
aareader
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 2:05 p.m.
Taking pictures of this road right now is very misleading, come and see mid to late winter. Huge potholes, up to ten feet in diameter and one foot deep (I am not exaggerating!) This road becomes almost impassable, dangerous and very damaging to cars. Something has to be done, and soon. There are plenty of trees around, and I bet many marked for removal are dead (also come up and see the roads after a heavy wind or ice storm, lots of downed branches and trees, some blocking the roads.) We are not asking for the road to be made into a smooth "freeway", just to have improvements made so we can avoid the heavy damage that results with the freeze/thaw every year, which has been getting progressive worse every year that we've lived up here.
zip the cat
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.
I don't know where your getting your info that your trees are worth $50.000. Current prices for old growth oak trees 24" around and larger for a logging company to come in and remove are ,are you ready for this. $150 to $200 per tree paid to you,if and only if they are saw log quality. Good luck
Dwayne
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 3:16 p.m.
He has an appraisal for the 30 foot Colorado Blue Spruces, 40 inch plus oak tree (250 years old) and other decorative trees and bushes!
Silly Sally
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.
It is the intrinsic value of the trees that make the property nicer. I will pay a lot more for a home with trees than an equal home on a former farm with no trees.
Urban Sombrero
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 3:46 a.m.
"The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency." Eugene McCarthy
DBH
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 1:17 p.m.
Urban Sombrero, I do not see in the article any reference to a lack of communication between the Road Commission and the Drain Commission (presumably, in Washtenaw County, you mean the Water Resources Commission) in this matter. Either I missed it (despite having reread the article twice) or, more likely, you have some information about the matter not contained within the article due to your association with Dr. Noonan. Would you care to expand on this particular aspect? Thanks.
Urban Sombrero
Sun, Aug 7, 2011 : 3:51 a.m.
It's ridiculous that the Road Commission and Drainage Commission refuse to communicate with each other. Especially in cases like this. I'll admit, I'm biased. I know Dr. Noonan personally. (I've been his hygienist for the past 10 years.) This is not a new problem. In fact, he's been incredibly good humored about this, joking about stocking his basement with fish, since it floods so much. He's not the type to complain, lightly. However, the failure of both governmental entities speaks volumes.
jcj
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 11:05 p.m.
What ever the solution is it needs to be taken care of within the right of way as Mike has stated. If not then I would also like my drainage problems on my property fixed.
slug
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 8:41 p.m.
Save the Trees!!
Mike
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
The road is low in that area and is almost impassable many times of the year. It would be tough to fix the grading issues without fixing the road since the main way to move the water is through ditches along the road. If this project is going to move onto private property with tax dollars then I would like to have the road commission take care of my personal water issues also. The only tax dollars that should be spent are in the right of way on the road. Unfortunately that's the way it is. If you're going to accept tax dollars to fix the problem then you need to accept the solutions offered with the strings attached.
CPS
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 6:01 p.m.
People move to this area for the rustic beauty--they don't want a smooth as glass throughway leading up their houses. All they are asking for is for DRAINAGE CONTROL. How hard is it to follow the natural pathway of drainage, and guide/reinforce it with materials that won't wash away (rocks? cement? tubing or piping?)? And why do you have to clear a swath of trees that have been there for *hundreds of years*??? Doesn't the Road Commission understand that these trees are a huge part of why people choose to live THERE??? North Maple--SOUTH of this project (from Stein down to the Huron River)--also needs proper drainage control. The road commission is constantly coming out to dig, grade, and clean up the debris from the out-of-control rainwater. I personally call it "Band-aid work" as they are repetitively fixing the SYMPTOM (responding to the out of control water runoff) and not addressing the SOURCE of the problem. I was always told that if you take on Nature, you will most likely lose. Work *with* Nature, and you may have a compromise that will be long-lasting....
jcj
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 11:07 p.m.
"People move to this area for the rustic beauty" I suspect the water problem was there when you moved in.