Residents of Cambridge were taken by surprise on Friday when they saw a verdant stretch at the side of A. Wayne Taylor Park being detached and uprooted by a zealous crew. Samantha Kritz, whose property abuts the park, expressed her shock and indignation, “I rushed out to my backyard to witness the unanticipated scene of deforestation. For us residents, it was a profoundly distressing and infuriating incident.”
The foliage, comprising of trees and shrubs, served as a natural shield for the residents that effectively blocked the view from the park’s playground, school and sports fields. Kritz stated her apprehension, “I don’t necessarily need people peeping at me, just as they don’t need to see me in my backyard.”
Residents were irked at not having been informed earlier by the city authorities about such a momentous modification. An aggrieved Judy Taylor, a fellow resident said, “It would have been courteous to be consulted prior to the incident, rather than waking up to the sight of machinery rooting out our beloved greenery on a Friday morning. I was crestfallen.”
Mike Hausser, the Director of Operations for the City of Cambridge empathized with the residents’ objections. He admitted, “We failed to alert the residents of the area. We are presently reassessing our protocols to enhance our communication methods for future park maintenance.”
Hausser further justified the step by citing that in numerous city-controlled parks, the greenery needed to be eliminated owing to problems such as the proliferation of invasive species, accumulation of litter, yard waste, among others.
The locality’s Councillor, Nicholas Ermeta was equally taken aback by the sudden removal and disapproved of the methodology. He sympathized with the localites and said, “These residents have now been stripped of their privacy. Considering the hefty taxes and the substantial price of their homes, they are undeniably entitled to their privacy. I intend to collaborate with both the staff and the residents to resolve this issue and derive a suitable solution.”
Further, he insisted that in the future, both councillors and impacted residents should be apprised of such transformations beforehand.
The city has stated that the area will be regrassed and repopulated with trees by this autumn. Additionally, it intends to consult local residents for their suggestions on their preferred changes. Meanwhile, the residents await an expeditious resolution.
