Removal of trees angers residents

Lynn Doan

Wednesday, June 16, 2004 | 11:11 a.m.

Residents of the Westwood Village neighborhood in Henderson were greeted by an unwelcome surprise Tuesday, when trees that stood between their back wall and Windmill Parkway were cut down, courtesy of their homeowners association.

Many of the residents expressed outrage that the 10-year-old oaks between Green Valley Parkway and Pecos Road were removed, a project that the association said was necessary to protect public sidewalks.

Homeowners said the 70 trees provided privacy and shade for their back yards. The association argued that the roots posed a danger of cracking the sidewalks lining Windmill Parkway, which eventually would have cost them money.

"I'm upset, very upset," said Linda Gantz, 57, whose house backs up to Windmill Parkway. "It was my little bit of privacy."

Dorothy Bowman, landscape chairwoman for the Westwood Village Neighborhood Homeowners Assocation, said local arborists, or tree care specialists, advised the association that the trees' roots would eventually grow large enough to break through sidewalks.

"They were fine now, but they were going to get big and damage the sidewalk, which doesn't belong to us," Bowman said.

The trees will be replaced with flowering trellises, Bowman said.

Len Burkhart, a senior scientist for the Davey Tree Expert Co. who has a doctoral degree in horticulture, said the roots of oak trees are not considered to be a danger to sidewalks. Cottonwood and poplar trees are the largest hazards.

"Oak trees are usually seen as one of the better species of trees," Burkhart said. "No tree is perfect, but oak trees are some of the better ones."

Besides, according to city officials, such damage from trees is so rare that estimating repair costs is impossible.

City planner Michael Tassi said he has never seen a situation where oak trees have damaged public sidewalks.

"If someone wants to plant oak trees near sidewalks, that's perfectly fine," he said. "They're slow-growing trees, and they provide good shade."

The developer was required to plant a tree every 25 feet, but there is nothing to stop on the homeowners association, once it took over the common property, Tassi said.

Linda Gantz, 57, and her husband, Paul, 60, said they don't care about the sidewalks; they just want their tree back.

"The tree gave us a little bit of privacy because it blocked people from seeing into our back yard," said Linda Gantz, pointing across the street to an apartment window that faces their house. "Now, that little privacy is completely gone."

The couple said they were so upset over the death of their oak tree that they are now considering buying a new tree to take its place, a tree they will plant in their own back yard.

The homeowners association actually owns the land between the wall and the sidewalk.

Chris Ringenbach, 49, who has lived in Westwood Village since it was first built 10 years ago, said no notice was given to homeowners before the trees came down.

Ever since she can remember, Ringenbach said, the homeowners association has tried to re-landscape the "greenbelt" on Windmill Parkway.

When it cut the trees, Ringenbach said, the association eliminated "the only part of the greenbelt with any substance."

Not everyone was sad to see them go. Elantis Osemwengie, 47, celebrated the fall of the oaks because it means less time he will need to clean leaves from his pool.

But Osemwengie's wife, Philomena, 45, pointed out another shedding tree located in their back yard, which she is adamant on keeping.

"It is hard to get trees in Las Vegas," she said. "They shade my backyard, so it doesn't look so dry."