DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Xavier D. Urrutia
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 1, 10
SUBJECT:
Briefing on the Parks and Recreation Department Tree Recovery Initiative
SUMMARY:
A briefing on the Parks and Recreation Department Tree Recovery Initiative to provide trees to residents impacted by the storm event which passed through San Antonio on February 19-20, 2017.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The storm that swept through the City of San Antonio on February 19-20, 2017 resulted in damage to over 500 homes. In the aftermath of the storm, the City of San Antonio Solid Waste Management Department removed over 2,800 tons of debris from affected streets, yards and parks. The clean-up effort was supported by multiple City teams including Fire, Police, Code Enforcement, Transportation and Capital Improvements, Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Emergency Management.
While the storm system was city-wide, the hardest hit areas were the Shearer Hills/Ridgeview, Oak Park/Northwood, and Northern Hills neighborhoods where confirmed tornadoes touched down. The tornados left homes and other structures severely damaged and the landscape changed with hundreds of trees lost. To assist residents in their recovery, Councilman Treviño engaged the Parks and Recreation Department to come up with a plan to provide trees to those residents directly impacted by the storm event and in response, the Tree Recovery Initiative was developed utilizing existing resources from the City’s Tree Mitigation Fund.
All residents in the three identified neighborhoods are eligible to receive a small or medium native oak wilt resistant shade tree. Additionally, residents who live in designated areas directly impacted by the storm are eligible to have a large native oak wilt resistant shade tree installed on their property free of charge. This Initiative is fully supported by the Tree Mitigation Fund.
The Tree Recovery Initiative was announced on Friday, March 10, 2017 at which time tree adoptions began and the first trees were planted at resident homes. To make the Initiative accessible to all impacted residents, the Parks and Recreation Department will be conducting six neighborhood outreach events as outlined below. Each event will include tree adoptions and Tree Recovery Vouchers for eligible residents.
The schedule of Neighborhood Tree Outreach Events is as follows:
Neighborhood Date Time Location
Shearer Hills/Ridgeview March 14 10 am-1pm Walking Trail
March 16 4 pm-7pm 101 Jackson Keller Rd.
Oak Park/Northwood March 21 10 am-1pm Northridge Park
March 23 4 pm-7pm 821 Chevy Chase Dr.
Northern Hills March 28 10 am-1pm Northern Hills Golf Club
March 30 4 pm-7pm Corner of Scarsdale & Putting Green
The Tree Recovery Initiative will be communicated to residents through Neighborhood distribution lists, Council District offices, direct outreach through door hangers and information advertised on the Parks and Recreation Department website.
ISSUE:
This briefing is for information purposes only.
ALTERNATIVES:
This briefing is for information purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This briefing is for information purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This briefing is for information purposes only.