Park board hesitates to remove trees from downtown sidewalks

The La Crosse park board’s newest dilemma revolves around whether the city should be in favor of taking down more trees.

City crews have been removing ash trees for several years, to fight off the emerald ash borer.

Now, the park board is being asked to let a 5th Avenue business, the People’s Food Co-op, take out trees that are being blamed for sidewalk damage.

There’s a dispute over how many of the four trees are still alive.

Todd Olson is one board member who worries that the city might get into a bad habit of removing live trees, just because someone doesn’t want a tree on a sidewalk.

What the board did Thursday night was to postpone action on the request until January, so the city and the Co-op can work out a solution.

In other business, the park board approved the idea of selling engraved bricks — pavers — as a way to raise money for a new canopy at the Riverside Park bandstand.