LOGAN, Utah — More than 100 years of Logan history could soon be cut down, which is why community members are locked in a fight to save the city's ash trees.
“These trees stand tall," said resident Brandon Elwood. "It's time for us to stand tall for Logan as well.”
Elwood put down roots in the city's "island" neighborhood five years ago.
“This iconic stretch in this canopy of trees here that marks the entrance to Logan Canyon. It is an iconic spot that people know," he added, "not just us along the stretch, not just the neighbors in this island neighborhood, not just the city of Logan, not just the valley.”
According to Elwood the 17 ash trees that may be cut down are each more than 100 years old.
“They were kind of part of the reason we bought our house. We loved the natural feel of it and how protective they are. They bring a lot of birds and wildlife,” said resident Alex Gerber.
Thousands of residents have signed a petition to stop the city from cutting down the trees on Canyon Road.
“This is like the historical section of Logan," Gerber explained. "It has its charm from the trees and from the old houses. Not everything's cookie-cutter. I would hate for Logan to lose a big part of its character.”
Because of Logan’s growing population, city officials say the state requires them to build a new waterline and storage tank to bring water from the canyon to other parts of the city. If the city council approves the project, the area would need to be brought up to code, potentially with sidewalks and bike lanes.
“On projects like this, it's always a balancing act, right? You have to meet the overall community need in terms of having a consistent roadscape, that's been one of the city's goals for a while ... to improve the road to make it more pedestrian and bicycle friendly,” said Andy Neff, a member of the public involvement team.
Neff claims the city looked at seven different alignments for the project, but Canyon Road is the best place to put the water pipeline which will run right through the root systems of the trees and compromising them.
“Cost-effectiveness, safety, utility separation requirements, also we using this alignment, we could keep it all within city right of way," he explained. "We wouldn't have to go on any state roads or go on any private property.”
The city is scheduled to hold a public open house on Dec. 5 to further discuss the project.
Elwood believes the city could work harder to find a better solution.
“I think they saw it as, ‘Hey, we're doing what's best for Logan,’ and I think we pushed back and said, ‘This isn't what's best for Logan.’”
