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Letter fuels disputes on Poland forest issues
POLAND
A Feb. 21 letter from Dr. Ian Renne, Poland Municipal Forest board member, to Village Council and the board stoked an already contentious board meeting Tuesday night, resulting in a packed village hall.
In his letter, Renne voiced opposition to the removal of natural debris from Yellow Creek, which volunteers have done in an effort to prevent flooding and erosion.
“There seemingly remains a gross misconception that somehow, miraculously, flooding and erosion can simultaneously be reduced – they cannot,” his letter read.
The letter follows a combative email exchange between board member Mark Thompson and Friends of Poland Municipal Forest, a nonprofit volunteer organization, regarding renovation of Mauthe Bridge.
In a letter dated Feb. 8, the Friends questioned the process by which the bridge was evaluated and the hefty price tag of a proposed renovation, which MS Consultants of Youngstown projects at $80,000 to $100,000.
The bridge has been closed for seven months, after a review by MS Consultants in July. Council did not appoint the firm to design the renovation until its Feb. 5 meeting. The design will cost $15,000.
The bridge was initially blocked by orange safety fencing that was quickly torn down; after months of use by residents, the road department finally erected a more permanent barrier Tuesday.
Residents voiced concern at Tuesday’s meeting that the repair will take years.
“It’s been six months, and we didn’t hear anything,” said village resident Laurie LaPlante.
Meanwhile, forest users can’t cross Yellow Creek, she said.
“If you’re gonna take that route away, make sure there are other routes throughout the woods,” she said.
Residents also expressed support for the argument laid out in Renne’s letter regarding how to address flooding and erosion in the forest.
“When [flooding or erosion] impacts a structure [in the forest], the solution should be not to corral the stream, but to move the trail,” said resident Lauren Schroeder.
Resident Patti Wanat echoed that sentiment. “It concerns me when you try to take what is a naturally occurring situation and bend it to your will,” she said.
Thompson disagreed, arguing that there is a difference between a natural and unnatural floodplain.
“Where’s your science degree?” resident Karen Ho asked Thompson in response.
Thompson said a study of these processes in the forest by the environmental consulting firm EnviroScience will be available soon.