The DJ has printed two letters to the editor this week on the trees on the Avenew which raise interesting issues. The first is from an early printed Voice contributor
Is it too late to rip out the Zelkovas used so dominantly in the Burlingame Avenue street remodel? Before hard-pressed taxpayers respond in revulsion at the idea, they should consider that the cost of reinstallation at this point is a one-time expense. As it is, the people of Burlingame will be paying to water, prune and sweep leaves for these eyesores for decades to come. Why not spend that money on trees that would truly beautify our town?
And while we’re at it, let’s clean up the coffee stains on (what were) those new pretty sidewalks.
Mike Reitsma, Burlingame
And then
A very short walk down Burlingame Avenue is all it takes for one to wonder who is in charge of upkeep and beautification of our most important city project. As Mike Reitsma noted in a prior letter, and many friends of mine concur, the recently planted zelkova trees are truly unattractive. Most of the other plants in pots and along the street are simply unimaginative. One question that comes to mind is if you are going to spend more than $16 million for a finely designed street, why not take advantage to provide beautiful, even spectacular landscaping, which could be one of the least expensive and potentially eye-catching parts of the whole project? Besides, California weather is outstanding and permits an extraordinary variety of beautiful and colorful vegetation. I agree it will be much better to correct this mistake now than later as eyesores do not easily go away.
Secondly, it is sad to see the lack of cleanliness of the avenue even in its pre-inaugural stage. Unfortunately, the light coloring of the tiles makes the grime, coffee splashes, cigarette butts, skid marks and occasional graffiti even more apparent. It is not clear who is in charge of keeping Burlingame Avenue clean. If it is the shopkeepers, then the city needs to start asking for compliance. If the city is going to be responsible then there needs to be some appropriate planning, rule setting, enforcement and accountability. And we should not forget that it behooves all the citizens to be a bit more careful and considerate in keeping what we are all paying for in an attractive condition.
Andrew Wallace, Burlingame
If memory serves, ginkos will be the other tree variety planted and we know they are colorful in the Fall. I think the hanging planters and such will also add some of the splash of color Mr. Wallace seeks. One thing to keep in mind is the merchants' main interest was ensuring their signage was not too obstructed by trees hence the taller, thinner selections. Nice to see people care!
Only the fool criticizes the work not yet finished.
--Ben Franklin
Posted by: hillsider | April 19, 2014 at 09:25 PM
I could NOT care less about the trees. Who is going to do something about all the litter and stains on the sidewalks? Who is responsible for cleaning up after the pigs who shop on the avenue? I'm sure it is the same amount of disgusting refuse as before but now we see it more and that is disturbing. Just think how bad it has been for years and years.
Posted by: resident | April 22, 2014 at 09:47 PM
My list: Any chance of passing a no smoking ordinance along the avenue? Also, how about investing in a sidewalk cleaner. I understand they even scent the cleaning agent with lemon fragrance. How about a water feature somewhere? I also think a statue of an apple cider press or similar would be a nice way to honor Bgame's heritage. I noticed many cars do not stop at Park RD and the Ave creating lots of horn honking (we need beat cops).
Posted by: James | April 23, 2014 at 08:16 AM
My list--
We DO have a sidewalk cleaner, I think even twice a week, but I've lost track and it costs a fair amount of money that I think the city is paying for, not the merchants. If I'm wrong, somebody correct me.
If it is true that 80% of the visitors/shoppers in Burlingame are not from Burlingame or Hillsborough, that means the sloppy behavior is not our own-- perhaps the 20% is from the school kids goofing around with their fancy tea and tapioca drinks and aerated ice-cream (?).
True, it is very disrespectful of the street and all the efforts, and though it may look in some ways like a mall, it is not. In a mall the property owners can hire help all day long to clean up the spills and have it immediately look spic and span, and I'll bet that costs a lot, too. No idea how that is arranged, but probably a fee that the stores pay into as part of the rent (?)
Here, I'm not sure what the answer is outside of shaming them into better behavior. Where are hidden cameras when you need them?? Maybe an entertaining kiosk could be shoppers behaving badly-- candids. But they don't live around here-- no ownership.
(Just curious, what does apple cider have to do with Burlingame's heritage??)
I personally prefer evergreens, which was a non-starter in this case, but I do like theses trees-- FYI, the very upright, somewhat rigid shape can only be attributed to the very strong remarks of property owners who funded a large portion of this project, NOT wanting trees, no matter what color or type, to block the store windows or signs.
By the way, the downtown we just are tearing up, the 1970s one-- that is precisely the reason the poor pittosporum trees were put in the confines of raised planters, so as not to block the view of the merchandise, so don't blame the planners or the Parks people or Beautification for the choice of this tree. There are few trees that would fit this bill, and somehow I think the only other option would be something like italian cypress spikes-- not attractive in this application.
The gingkos on the other ends will break up the color and shape a bit. Frankly I think the project is really looking beautiful, minus the stains. As several have said-- it is a sidewalk, not a dinner plate. The people who trash the avenue probably have even worse table manners at home......
Posted by: jennifer | April 23, 2014 at 09:33 AM
Apple Cider Press Statue de-coded:
I remember seeing an old photograph of a family (Donnelly, maybe?) making apple cider. I assumed Bgame's early pioneers did something like that--it's a bit of a stretch, I know. My historical deduction abilities are limited. I guess a statue of Anson Burlingame would make more sense.
Posted by: James | April 23, 2014 at 09:56 AM
Great analogy Jennifer.
"It is a sidewalk, not a dinner plate."
Then again- it is a Burlingame Sidewalk....
Posted by: holyroller | April 23, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Oh yes, I know the image--you have a good memory. Apple cider press and picnics around the trees, definitely pioneer activity, along with chasing after loose livestock.
Anson statue could be cool, though.
Posted by: jennifer | April 23, 2014 at 01:48 PM
Anson barely even lived in Burlingame, so why have a statue of him.
Instead, I'd like to suggest that the proud communists of Burlingame purchase the Lenin Statue from that kook in Seattle who spent his family's life savings to purchase it, and put it at the head of Burlingame Ave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Lenin,_Seattle
Then, we should change the name of our town to Lenin-game.
Just kidding! There are only a few devout communists in Burlingame.
Posted by: Golden Statues | April 23, 2014 at 04:59 PM
Hai Guyz ;-) hey I have a statue suggestion for bgame & its gold too & is the greeek god of travelin & roads
http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/48/0007MAN-Herma.jpg
TTFN ;-P
Posted by: longwong | April 23, 2014 at 08:41 PM
I think the new trees look great.;
They are still "babies" and will fill in very nice so long as they are watered and maintained.
I hope the chemicals used to clean "The Scared Walkways" will not end up damaging the trees.
Posted by: [email protected] | May 24, 2014 at 06:04 PM