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July 15, 2010

Total Parkway Destruction

I arrived home from work today to find that the deed had been done. The entire parkway in front of my house had been mowed to about 2 inches high. It also looks like they raked up all the plant material. It is a terrible sight. Click on the picture to see a before and after. (Sensitive viewers beware.)

I do not like to admit it, but I was wrong. Based on my previous interactions with the Village of Bartlett, I believed that it was represented by intelligent and reasonable people who face the difficult challenge of balancing a wide variety of resident concerns. My recent interactions with Jim Plonczynski, Director of Community Development for the Village of Bartlett have shown that he is not concerned with any such balancing. When I contacted Mr. Plonczynski, he was completely unwilling to participate in any dialog to clarify his position about why my parkway garden was a hazard or a violation of municipal code. It is very disappointing to see that the Village is willing to treat residents, such as myself, in such a rude and inconsiderate manner, while claiming to be acting on the complaints of other residents. Mr. PlonczynskiÕs unwillingness to interact with Bartlett residents in a constructive manner reflects negatively on the village.

Throughout the course of a day, I attempted several times via email to schedule a discussion with Mr. Plonczynski, either by phone or in person. The following is a consolidation of the one line responses I received from him.

Jim Plonczynski, wrote at 2010-07-13 15:39:

Mr. Zouras,

The parkway will be cut on Thursday. You have until then to remove any plant material that you choose. The letter as stated cites the violations of the Municipal Code. You have been offered time to remove any plant material that you would like. I do not wish to argue the fact that it is a violation of the existing code and would respectfully request that you follow through with the removal of the plant material that you deem important to you. The simple fact is that the Village has the right and ability to cut the parkway and that will be done later this week.

Jim Plonczynski

The native plants in question represent a significant amount of time and money. Moving them is not feasible due to their extensive root systems. They are environmentally friendly and provide storm water management benefits. It is a shame that the Village of Bartlett chose to destroy them for no good reason other than fulfilling the wishes of one resident while ignoring the dreams of another.

Once I realized that Mr. Plonczynski was not going to be reasonable, I also reached out to various other officials of the Village of Bartlett, including the President, Michael Kelly. I sent emails, used the online contact form and sent letters via regular mail. I received no responses from any of them.

Once again it is surprising that Bartlett chooses to interact with its residents in this manner. It is disappointing that anonymous complaints will drive village officials to get creative with the interpretation of the municipal code. Just because something is unusual does not make it bad. It would seem that in a world where "green" is becoming the way of the future, those officials might be compelled to understand and inform the complainers about the benefits of native plants.

I want to live in a village that understands that environmental practices are to be encouraged, not persecuted. I will continue to work towards that end.

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