Riverside Info » About Riverside

America's Coolest Small Towns

(57 posts)
  1. mr
    Member

    KimJ, thanks for acknowleging my post.

    I don't think you implied that I said anything about FLOS, but I do want to emphasize that I didn't. When the name Olmsted makes the newspapers, it is about something like colorful flowers or cultivar Elms. I don't know whether the society is behind it or not, but the Society should be aware that for many taxpayers around here, the name Olmsted is synomous with "no change".

    When I watched the village board meeting on the trees, just by accident, I never got the impression that prudence was not being exercised. In fact, we pay a forester to do just that. I don't know that the LAC commissioners acted imprudently in their recommendation.

    I can mention by name though, the trustees and LAC member at the board meeting who were unable to convey accurate information when asked, implied things that were not accurate or complete about the NHL status, did not seem to understand that cultivars did not propogate through seed. And worst of all, expressed contempt for donors and funders of parkway plantings who actually want to spend money on things they like.

    It is appropriate that the FLOS discuss the principles of landscaping employed by a famous landscaper over 100 years ago. Riverside is not a museum though and all taxpayers pay to live here and enjoy the common areas. If the FLOS has not dedicated itself to working with taxpayers who want elms, colorful flowers, or recreation in the parks, then perhaps they deserve to be thought of as an academic group of historians who are neither forward looking or realistic and who have limited usefullness in helping solve village problems.

    I like living here, but I did not know it was Brigadoon and I had stepped permanently into the 19th century.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 15:51 #
  2. KimJ
    Member

    I did not state that Mr. Evans has not used cultivars.
    Only that he uses "prudence."
    My word choice, not his, and while considering the other defined meanings of the word, like...

    3 : skill and good judgment in the use of resources
    4 : caution or circumspection as to danger or risk

    So in addition to reason/shrewdness, key words being: skill, good judgement, caution, and circumspection.

    If you did not feel compelled to hide under a veil of anonymity, you could ask him yourself? Or perhaps Mr. Evans would be delighted to respond to someone that is indeed curious.

    But honestly, it really just looks like you want to fight about a $5,000 donation being turned down by the village. This appears to only be political for you. This is not about prudence, or NHL, or Olmsted, or Riverside;
    Just RCA, vs. RP.

    Lame.

    2 : lacking needful or desirable substance : weak, ineffectual
    3 slang : not being in the know : square

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 15:55 #
  3. PAR4
    Member

    The Capitol recently planted Princeton, New Harmony and Valley Forge elms on their grounds. The National Park Service planted Princeton and New Harmony elms on the Plaza towards the Washington Monument. The Biltmore in Asheville (FLO) is planting the same mix. The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation is planning on replacing the sick 'Olmsted Elm' (from 1883) on their grounds with a Princeton Elm. The fact that our town 'visionaries' feel they know truly what FLO would want is ludicris.

    50 years ago nobody knew of DED. 20 years ago the Emerald Ash borer and Asian Long Horn were science fiction in the US. Today they stand to wipe out large sections of our forestation. What if the next wave of bad bugs attacks oaks? The fact that the board says we should 'wait 20 -30 years to see how these cultivars do' is a joke. If we don't act proactively and accept donations to keep our village green, it could be devastating to the beauty we now enjoy. There ARE elm varieties we should be planting to keep our diversification alive - and ones I am sure Steve Campbell would embrace. After all, he said he leaves it up to Mike Collins. And don't pull the old 'the LAC just needs to put it on the list', because the list needs to be approved by the Board and we know what that means.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 16:31 #
  4. JohnM
    Member

    Kim,

    Of course it's about the RCA, at least to some degree.

    The 3 RCA Trustees voted against accepting the donation, following a presentation by an RCA-appointed member of the LAC, who had been in the minority (with the other RCA appointees) when that Commission voted to accept the donation. This occured despite the facts that:

    1) The acceptance of the donation would not, in any way, imperil our NHL status, and anyone who suggests it would is either lying or does not understand what our NHL status implies.

    2) There is nothing in the Olmsted Plan that would prohibit the planting of these trees.

    Turning down a $5k donation to enhance our tree stock was neither prudent, nor shrewd nor reasonable. It was a wilful and self-centered action by a few individuals who seem to believe that they know what is best for the rest of us.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 16:52 #
  5. CuriousResident
    Member

    KimJ, please don't join the prejudice pattern.

    My reasons for being anon are largely due to folks propensity to not take words for words or remain civil...there always has to be an agenda~

    I am not in this for a fight about the $5k, nor am I a supporter of either party.

    I am a supporter of logic, reason, and fairness. And I'd love to see Riverside reach a "healthy state".

    BTW, if you scroll up, you'll see that I'm not "one of them" and I was "sticking up for FLOS"

    I'd suspect that folks are (unfairly) connecting Reynolds statements/sentiments directly to the organization in which he used to be president...
    Does anyone else think it peculiar that any (conservative) individual's zealot behavior gets labeled "Olmstedian"?

    The sole reason I am on this forum is because I am indeed curious.

    I'd ask Mr. Evans about the elm cultivars myself, but I have never met the man. You brought up the issue, your discussion with him, and left it unclear (to me anyway). So, I asked for elaboration. If you felt provoked by the way I started this tangent, I apologize.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 16:56 #
  6. KimJ
    Member

    I did not state that he has never used cultivars. Having found examples of his use of such, I must conjecture that with each instance he followed the below principles that he stated to Thomas and I.

    "I do not make decisions regarding them (cultivars) lightly.
    I make each decision on a case by case basis.
    I use them very cautiously."

    What I am saying, and this is a fact, at the moment, cultivars are on the Village of Riverside's "plants to avoid" list.

    I applaud our the village for using prudence regarding donations that are not acceptable according to village documents. (Said documents having been approved by previous boards, w/out the spectre of FLOS.)

    And PAR4, yes, it is the LAC's charge to update our planting list. Which commission would be better suited? Should the village task the Police Pension Fund Committee with this job instead?

    Curious, I got it. Would you recommend me going Anon? Would my argument get further if I was "bob?" Now can we go back to the Coolest Towns topic?

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 17:28 #
  7. PAR4
    Member

    Sorry Kim, I do know it is the LAC's job to do that, but can they do that with an assurance that the Board will weigh its merits - before rejecting it? How are the Commissions supposed to be inspired to come up with solutions that they know will have no chance of passing??

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 17:38 #
  8. JohnM
    Member

    Kim,

    Cultivars are identified as "plants to avoid" in an LAC publication. They are not, to the best of my knowledge, proscribed or prohibited by any Village statute or ordinance. I agree that we (and the LAC is the proper body) must clarify the language of the law and determine what is permitted and what is not. But in the interim, why couldn't we accept a generous donation and leave it to the Village forester to use his skill and judgement to decide what to plant. I think it would have been a win for everybody.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 17:41 #
  9. mr
    Member

    All the board needed to do was to support planting cultivars after consultation with the NPS Olmsted Preservation group. They could have asked the Forester to demonstrate that the plantings would be done in a way that would not threaten the Landmark status. They could have asked that some of the $5,000 be set aside to start a fund for the removal of cultivars, since that was a concern. They could have asked that residents who want them planted in the parkway also contribute a small fee to the fund. They could also ask the LAC to determine how many of the trees on the current list are appropriate for parkways - and of those, how many are commercially available.

    As FLOS members, they should have some expertise in landscaping and be able to demonstrate that they can use it to work with taxpayers. If they can't do it on landscaping issues, they are not going to do it when the issues are outside their area of expertise.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 17:55 #
  10. Tim
    Member

    mr,

    'I don't know whether the society is behind it or not, but the Society should be aware that for many taxpayers around here, the name Olmsted is synonomous with "no change".'

    Sadly, I feel constantly reminded of this fact and I wonder how it ever got to this point. I speculate that the actions of individuals with grudges and personal agendas has taken these feelings to the extreme. Whether it be a debate over a turtle, a petunia, a village center or a tree it seems the arguments crossed the line and burned bridges that need repair if we are to ever move forward.

    The true irony lies in the very plan for Riverside which was designed in an effort to promote a suburban retreat for community development in the face of chaos within the early urban development of Chicago. Now, the very name of the man responsible for its creation tears the community apart and creates such chaos we cannot move forward on any issue that may improve our Village.

    Posted Monday Oct 5, 2009 17:59 #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.