Centerville has removed about 1,000 trees from park, golf course

Oct. 01--The city of Centerville has removed more than 700 ash trees from Stubbs Park and 300 from Yankee Trace golf course as part of an ongoing effort to replace trees that have been deemed safety hazards.

Removing the ash trees -- severely weakened by the emerald ash borer -- has cost the city roughly $200,000 in contractors and equipment over the past couple years, according to City Manager Greg Horn.

"It's taken a huge financial toll," Horn said. "We have a stump grinder, a tub grinder, a bucket truck ... We're trying to do as much as we can in house to keep the costs down but some of this has to be contracted out."

The fear is that trees that are weakened by emerald ash borer pose safety threats. Limbs may fall off, or trees may be uprooted. Some insurance companies may not pay the claim if a dead tree falls on a house.

The city has issued roughly 100 notices to homeowners asking them to remove their infected ash trees. Removal for one tree may run $1,200. Horn said the city is willing to work with individual homeowners during this process.

"We've got a long way to go," Horn said. "We've got maybe another two or three years before we've worked through this issue."

At one time there were roughly 1,200 ash trees in Stubbs Park. They're being replaced with trees that include cherry, maple, oak and elm trees. The city is treating almost 50 trees for emerald ash borer. There are still plans to remove about 300 more ash trees from Yankee Trace.

"We're fortunate that when that course was built 20 years ago we planted almost 3,000 trees," Horn said. "But still, 700 trees at one time is a huge loss."

Peggy Wolf, a longtime Centerville resident, recently moved from the Yankee Trace area. She said she knows homeowners are in a rough spot, but that the city's hands are tied.

"If it's a danger, then I think you need to do something about it," she said. "But it is so costly. I see both sides."

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