Stately oak trees, shown in June 2016, are among the attractions at Daniels Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan
CEDAR RAPIDS – More than a dozen trees will be removed in Daniels Park, as plans move ahead for the CEMAR Trail project.
The 24-acre park, bordered by Oakland Road, J Avenue, H Avenue and Maplewood Drive NE, is known for towering oaks and other trees that provide abundant shade for its pavilions, playground and more.
As it stands, the proposed plans do not call for any of the oaks to be removed.
The CEMAR Trail will eventually connect downtown Cedar Rapids and downtown Marion. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Documents provided by the city of Cedar Rapids show 14 trees currently marked for removal, along with at least 30 bushes.
The trees include five spruce; two cherry and one apple, buckthorn, white pine, maple and ash, as well as two unknown species, ranging in size from 8 inches to 28 inches in diameter.
Of those, the largest is the white pine, which is likely more than 60 years old.
The City Council approved plans for the trail extension earlier this month, with an estimated cost of $760,000. The trail will eventually connect downtown Cedar Rapids to downtown Marion.
Most of the tree removals will be along Maplewood Drive, with the 10-foot-wide trail running down Maplewood and along H Avenue NE.
Doug Wilson, Paving for Progress program manager for the city of Cedar Rapids, said the project is scheduled to begin in August, with the work expected to take about 50 days.
“The trail will meander to avoid those trees,” Wilson said of the mature oaks. “In every roadway project, we do what we can to avoid the trees.”
Numerous mature trees were removed during the renovation of Greene Square Park, shown in May 2016, shortly after the park reopened in downtown Cedar Rapids. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
That doesn’t happen with every city project.
Developers of the plan to renovate Greene Square Park in downtown Cedar Rapids said they didn’t want the design to result in the removal of trees, yet the majority of trees in the center of the park ultimately were removed.
Related: Green removed from Greene Square Park
Gary Petersen, capital improvements project manager for the city, said representatives of Anderson-Bogert Engineers and the Public Works Department, as well as Parks Superintendent Daniel Gibbins, walked the trail route in Daniels Park during the preliminary design process to minimize removal of healthy, desirable trees.
“The layout of this trail was nearly completely designed around getting the trail through the stately oaks and other species with as little impact as possible,” Gibbins said. “Every tree proximate to the trail was looked at for species, condition, size and structure.”
Sunlight peeks through branches of a tree in Daniels Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mature trees shade the playground in Daniels Park on a hot day in June 2016 in northeast Cedar Rapids. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A stone pathway meanders through Daniels Park in Cedar Rapids. Plans call for building a 10-foot-wide trail in the park. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Stately trees provide shade for the upper pavilion at Daniels Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
What else can the city tear down? Greene Square is a joke!
Of all the things that need to be updated and maintained in this city the city council chooses to spend $760,000 on a recreational project? Hm. Priorities. What about the residents of Maplewood Dr? The road that the trail is being built next to is in horrible condition. Why not improve the condition of that road and then put a bike lane in? This is more wasteful spending condoned by our city leaders to improve the appearance of our city with out concern for the condition of our city.
This is harsh, I think. There is a vast amount of land in Cedar Rapids devoted to car-related infrastructure, and the inadequacy of funding for maintaining that (true pretty much everywhere not just here). Our existing trails enjoy wide use, and this is an important connector between two of the more popular ones. Moreover, its route through the NE side towards downtown will encourage bicycle commuting. Cars will wear down a repaved road long before the trails wear out. To insist that all roads be smooth before constructing
any trails completed is myopic.
I visited Daniels park just last weekend. Whatever happened to the beautiful flower beds? My wife and I got married amongst them back in 1986. They were gorgeous.
Thanks for your comment, Bruce. I understand that many changes have taken place in the park since then. Hopefully, you have photos to preserve those great memories.