Brave Disabled Man Battles to Protect Trees from ADA Sidewalk Construction
TL/DR –
In Asheville, North Carolina, a physically disabled man is protesting the city’s decision to remove more than a dozen trees as part of a sidewalk accessibility project. The city’s $300,000 federally funded project to repave two blocks of sidewalk on Patton Avenue near Coxe Avenue to make it more accessible is seen as necessary to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the protester, who regularly uses a walker due to his own disabilities, believes that the trees, some of which have been standing for 50 years, should be preserved for their ecological benefits despite the city’s plan to replace them with younger trees planted deeper into the ground.
Asheville Disabled Man Fights to Save Trees amid Sidewalk Accessibility Project
A physically impaired man in Asheville, N.C. is battling to save over a dozen trees slated for removal as part of a new sidewalk accessibility project. The city asserts that removing the trees is the only way to keep a section of Patton Avenue compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Despite sidewalks riddled with cracks due to the tree roots, Tom Nanney insists on preserving these trees. Nanney, a National Arbor Day Foundation member, argues that these trees, which have been part of the landscape for 50 years, should be preserved for their oxygen production and shade provision.
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Nanney, who uses a walker due to a broken hip and knee, stands firm on his stance despite being a potential beneficiary of the new project.
About 18 trees along a section of Patton near Coxe Avenue are set to be removed for the new sidewalk project.
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The city plans to repave approximately two blocks of the sidewalk, a process that will continue through summer into September, to ensure ADA compliance. The project, which will cost $300,000 and covers both sides of the mentioned street, is federally funded.
Chad Bandy, Asheville City Streets Division manager, said the old trees pose a tripping hazard, hence the need for their replacement with new ones. The new trees will be planted deeper into the ground to reduce sidewalk damage.
Despite these plans, Nanney remains unimpressed. He argues that replacing the grand trees that have been in Asheville for 50 years with saplings isn’t a fitting solution.
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