[Mintwood-place] Trees and their discontents

[John Cloud]

Whatever else, when Matt Forman talks about cutting down trees, he's an expert at it.  He and Belinda Reeder instigated DDOT cutting down possibly the oldest living oak tree in Kalorama park a few years back-- you can still see (and picnic on) the stump four feet across, which  is its own tombstone.  Matt Forman and Belinda Reeder are also responsible for that part of the ill-fated Kalorama Park Anti-Erosion Project, as originally proposed, that would address "erosion" on the northwest side of the park by cutting down every single living tree that was left around the oak stump, 100 yards away.  Ironically, these trees, magnolias and elms, were the Ward One 9-11 Memorial Grove, planted exactly where they were at the behest of-- Matt Forman and Belinda Reeder!  I guess they didn't like how the trees turned out and were ready to "erase and start over". For people like Matt Forman and Belinda Reeder, the natural world is just little circles and ovals on
 an architect's drawing--an old ginko is just a bigger oval, easily replaceable by a London plane tree circle.  Birds and squirrels don't get an oval so they don't really matter.

And as to his comment: "As to 18th Street, this project has been in the works for years and everyone had the chance for input".  But what if that input was completely and systematically ignored? Some people and institutions in this thoroughly corrupt town are way more "equal" than others, which is playing out now on 18th Street, with the AdMo Millionaires' Hotel,  the Reeves center, pretty much all over the District. Including beleaguered Kalorama Park.  


November 14 will be the next little one-act play of the Anti-Erosion Project, in which DPR refuses to answer any questions about what they are going to do to salvage the disasters wrought thus far in Kalorama Park unless they are in the company of their cronies of the Fund for Kalorama Park.  The disasters include the thoroughly botched so-called "playing field".  The original plan for that, crafted by DPR with-- surprise! Matt Forman and Belinda Reeder--  was the infamous Geoblock 2 (TM) which is interlocking cement blocks with plugs of grass, certified strong to park emergency vehicles on, as "playing field" for little kids.  Community outrage forced a complete re-design, to a system of multiple layers of  sand, gravel, topsoil, and a layer of geotextile fabric.  Now DPR says the playing field is finished-- except they never installed the geotextile system.  Although they did PAY the contractor for putting it in!  

What's that you say?  You'd like to see some evidence? Attached here are : 

(1) DPR's 2010 schematic of the geotextile fabric matrix system they were going to install

(2) A photograph from Sept. 27, 2009, showing the amalgam of rocks, illegal construction spoils and non-soil the first contractor deposited on the "playing field" as "soil".  Note the black plastic garbage bags.

(3) A photograph from May 31, 2011 showing the real makeup of the "playing field" as done by the second contractor.  They had to excavate footings for terraces on the slope above the basketball court, which unwittingly revealed a cross section of what was actually there.  Note: a complete absence of the geotextile fabric matrix, but the smashed black plastic trash bags from 2009 are still there!



________________________________
From: Matthew Forman <Matthew.Forman2 at verizon.net>
To: mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Mintwood-place] Tress and Things


Adam – It’s a little ironic that you’re advocating for saving trees on the Mintwood list, which forum was created in response to the DDOT project on your street.  Among other things, DDOT proposed to install a planting strip connecting the tree boxes, which helps give the tree roots additional breathing room from their otherwise small spaces.  You (and others) strongly advocated for keeping the concrete, and DDOT caved to the Mintwood Mob, ensuring the reduced longevity of the trees.  
 
As to 18th Street, this project has been in the works for years and everyone had the chance for input.  The consensus was that the narrow width of the sidewalks needed to increase for the heavy pedestrian use.  Obviously that wasn’t going to work if the trees remained where they were, as they would be in the middle of the newly widened walks.  In addition, while the ginkgoes might work in other locations, they were a complete failure on 18th Street, and almost all of them have looked like toothpicks for years, providing no useful canopy. 
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