Editor:
Re: Hillside replanting debated, April 22.
I was very interested to read about the city’s plans for the re-vegetation of the recently cleared slope between Marine Drive and the below BNSF rail right-of-way.
This plan was recently provided to a White Rock city committee and others by city engineer Greg St. Louis. The arm-wave description of the environmentally friendly re-vegetation plan provided, should be a major concern for the taxpayers of White Rock.
The size of the area involved should be the first clue to the reality of the situation, and the costs that will be involved to install and maintain the recommended native species – at contractor and city-worker costs – should be the second clue.
If you need to see proof of the city’s past experience and long-term commitment with re-vegetation projects, I would recommend that you take a look at the 14700-block of upper Roper Street, just off of Oxford.
This street is split into an upper and lower level. A concrete retaining wall was built to separate the two levels about six years ago.
This was a good project intended to stabilize the original loose slope between the two levels.
But the retained area was planted with native species. It has since been allowed to degrade into unmaintained wild growth, which gets trimmed back once a year.
This lack of proper planning and maintenance has become a legacy problem for the residents of the street.
Doug Baker, White Rock
