GA_032218

8 | March 22, 2018 | The glencoe anchor news
glencoeanchor.com
Glencoe Village Board
Green Bay Trail restoration
to proceed following concerns
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Margaret Tazioli
Freelance Reporter
The Green Bay Trail
South of South Avenue
will soon have much less
buckthorn — and a much
more open feel as a result.
After postponing this
section of the trail’s restoration
project for nearly
three months due to neighbor’s
concerns, the Village
decided to move ahead
with the removal of invasive
plants in the next
week or so at the Village
Board meeting Thursday,
March 15.
The Friends of the Green
Bay Trail is spearheading
the effort to not only
remove the invasive plant
species on the trail — but
to replant with hardy native
plants.
With the help of landscape
professionals, like
Bob Kirschner, director
of restoration at the Chicago
Botanic Garden, the
Friends have created a plan
to place nearly $100,000
worth of native plants approved
for survival in the
different types of soil after
the buckthorn is removed.
The Friends also included
a non-native, but fast
growing, green giant arborvitae
in their plan since
it can provide additional
screening from Green Bay
Road.
As neighbors learned
of the plan to continue the
Friends of the Trail’s restoration
work South of South
Avenue, however, they became
concerned.
Last week, The Anchor
reported a petition opposing
the work circulated and
was sent to the Village.
Some, like Terri Atkinson,
of Wentworth Avenue,
are still unsatisfied
with the completed work
between Harbor and Scott
Avenue. They’re confused
why another section
of the trail is beginning to
receive investment when
they don’t feel the first section
is complete.
Whether or not that section
is complete is a topic
of conversation that will
continue through the next
year, but unlike the section
from Harbor to Scott, the
section south of South Avenue
has a plan, a budget,
a timeline and partnerships
with the Village and park
district from the get-go. In
contrast, the section from
Harbor to Scott started six
years ago as three volunteers
tramping through the
trail cutting out buckthorn
in their free time.
Following the Friends’
community meeting in
December discussing their
trail restoration plan, the
Village received an email
from a concerned resident
and set up a meeting with a
couple of concerned neighbors
early last month.
The work of tearing
out the buckthorn was set
to begin in January but
was postponed due to the
raised concerns.
The primary concerns
of the 10 or so neighbors
directly next to the section
of the trail south of
South Avenue were about
their property values and
privacy. The loss of vegetation
will expose more
of the train and more of
the headlights from Green
Bay Road traffic and if not
completed properly, could
result in a less attractive
trail which would reduce
the value of nearby homes,
according to their petition.
Kayri Havens from the
Chicago Botanic Garden
said it is very unlikely the
work will adversely affect
property values.
“Plants will grow up
and provide a much more
beautiful and much more
ecologically appropriate
screen than the buckthorn
does,” she said. “I think as
these restorations mature,
they will actually help
property values.”
Carl Leonard, of Ida
Lane, expressed concern
about the quantity of plants
to be replanted.
“Although we truly applaud
the intent and desire
to eliminate buckthorn, we
feel the plan has not allocated
appropriate resources
to prevent the buckthorn
from repopulating once its
removed,” Leonard said.
The Friends have, however,
set up a “Trust for
the Trail” with ambitious
fundraising goals “to ensure
future leaders will
always have the resources
to maintain our projects,”
according to its website.
After nearly two hours
of conversation — including
ample amounts of public
comment — Trustee
Gail Lissner made a motion
to postpone the trail
work until all concerns had
more opportunity to be addressed
but no one moved
to second her motion. So,
the work will proceed in
the next 7-10 days with the
beginning of buckthorn
and poison ivy removal.
Read the full story at
GlencoeAnchor.com.