Neighbors Win Reprieve for Historic Trees in 5th Avenue “Sidewalk Debate”
- Steve Jurrens
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - What began as an infrastructure update for a “historic” Watertown neighborhood spiraled into a debate over property rights, “modern” vs. “historic” standards, and the value of a mature tree canopy.
In a 6-1 vote, the Watertown City Council approved a Resolution of Necessity for sidewalk improvements along 5th Avenue North. However, the approval came with a major caveat: a direct order from the Mayor to “cover up the Xs” and redesign the project to preserve the neighborhood’s character.
The Project: Modern Standards vs. Historic Reality
The 5th Avenue North project is a full “reconstruct” involving the replacement of aging sanitary sewers, water mains, and curb and gutter. To meet current city engineering standards, the plan called for:
· Standardizing the street width to 36 feet (widening it by up to 4 feet in some blocks).
· Installing 5-foot-wide (60-inch) ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the street.
· The removal of over 100 trees that interfered with these new widths.
Shane and Shelly Ronke, who live on the corner of 5th Avenue and Broadway, told the Council they had invested in treating their ash trees for the Emerald Ash Borer. “We never got a certified letter... we treated them, otherwise we wouldn’t have gone to the expense... if we knew they were going to be removed,” Shelly Ronke said.
New homeowner Kaylee Steiner expressed shock after finding five trees on her new property marked for removal just days after moving in. “I don’t want our trees taken down, and I don’t want to pay for a sidewalk that we don’t want,” Steiner testified.
The Dissent: A Question of Consistency
Councilman Kyle Peters cast the lone “no” vote against the Resolution of Necessity. Peters argued that the city lacked a consistent policy for established neighborhoods, noting that the Council had voted down similar sidewalk mandates on 12th Avenue just a year prior.
“I think it’s hard for us as a Council to pick winners and losers in sidewalks,” Peters said, noting that forcing a new homeowner to pay $9.86 per linear foot for a sidewalk they didn’t ask for felt unfair.
The Compromise: “Cover up the Xs”
Councilman Michael Heuer, who frequently runs through the neighborhood, challenged the need for wide, modern roads in a historic district. “I have a hard time widening roads and taking out these older historic trees... they don’t come back very fast,” Heuer said, advocating for “skinny” roads and flexible sidewalk widths to save the trees.
City Manager Alan Stager acknowledged the tension between engineering standards and neighborhood preservation. He recommended that, while the project must proceed to fix the underground utilities, the sidewalk design should be flexible.
“I do think we need to redesign the sidewalks around saving as many trees as we can,” Stager said, suggesting that a 48-inch sidewalk might be used to navigate around mature trees instead of the 60-inch standard.
Mayor Ried Holien went a step further, directing staff to halt any immediate tree removal midweek, as originally planned. “I think we need to cover up some exes,” Holien said. “If the property owners have paid to treat the trees... we should find a way to work with them”.
What Happens Next?
While the 6-1 vote allows the city to move forward with the legal assessment process, the actual sidewalk work will be delayed until the end of the construction project to allow for individual site re-evaluations.
Property owners were encouraged to contact Project Manager Craig Engen or visit the city website to ensure their trees are re-evaluated.
