![]() ![]() "There was a strong desire on the part of many people to expedite the project," Roberts told the Weekly. Roberts called his staff's failure to wait 14 days one of the critical errors in the controversial project. Roberts was one of many city officials who learned about the hasty tree removal only after the fact. Staff decided to proceed as soon as possible in hopes of completing the tree-replacement project before the holiday season, Public Works Director Glenn Roberts said this week. That's the same day the department received tentative clearance from the Planning and Community Environment Department to proceed, but staff ignored a clause, written in bold type on the planning permit, mandating a 14-day waiting period before approval was considered final and construction could begin. Dozens of e-mails and memoranda from the Public Works Department obtained by the Weekly suggest that numerous department members, including the project engineer, the project manager and the contract administrator, agreed that tree removal would begin on Sept. The investigation is scheduled to be completed later this month, Human Resources Director Russ Carlsen said.īut angry residents looking for the city's probe to identify a single, clear-cut scapegoat are likely to be disappointed. The tree-removal project - more than five years in the planning - shocked the City Council, outraged area residents and prompted Palo Alto officials to issue multiple apologies and to launch an internal investigation into what happened and who is responsible. ![]() Insufficient public outreach, miscommunication within Palo Alto's Public Works Department and the department's widespread failure to comply with proper planning procedure all contributed to the city's controversial axing of 63 holly oaks on California Avenue in mid-September, internal correspondence from Public Works indicates. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Online. Tree-removal crews from Atlas Tree and Landscaping Service cut down the oaks lining California Avenue on Sept. ![]()
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