The City of Grand Island will cut down 10 cottonwood trees on the north side of Pier Park Lake because of concerns about the health of the trees and their condition. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – The City of Grand Island plans to cut down 10 of 14 cottonwood trees on the north side of Pier Park Lake, said Spencer Schubert, Communications Manager, on Nov. 14.
A possible meeting with people who live north of the lake was scheduled for Nov. 12. Schubert said the meeting did not occur. City Administrator Patrick Brown gave residents until Nov. 12 to contact the city and voice concerns. No one contacted the city, so no meeting was scheduled, Schubert said.
The city will prune one of the trees, so there will be four of 14 trees considered for left in the park.
“The city will cut down the trees as soon as contractor is able to, so that could be any time,” Schubert said Nov. 14.
Joann Nietfeld of 229 E. Ashton was one of the residents who had met with city officials last week about the situation.
Nietfeld could not attend a meeting Wednesday because she was attending a relative’s funeral in Lincoln.
“I figured they would go ahead with it,” Nietfeld said Nov. 14. “I’m not surprised at their decision. I’m still very sad about it.”
Nietfeld and her husband, Dick, have lived in their home for 60 years. She found out about the plan to cut down the trees from a neighbor who works for the city. The neighbor circulated a petition for neighbors to sign to show their opposition to the city’s plan.
City Administrator Patrick Brown previously said that in January 2025, a couple of trees fell due to an ice storm, took out the electric lines, and pulled the lines from the feeder. At that time, the city looked at the 14 trees on the north side of Pier Park Lake and for safety purposes marked those for review. The city had a state-level arborist inspect the trees to diagnose their condition. On one tree, a hollow spot was visible at the base of the tree. Some of the trees had branches in the vicinity of utility lines that run along the north side of the lake, just south of residents’ homes.
