City officials say that a private attorney, acting on behalf of a client, notified the Seattle parks department in February of the illegal cutting of trees in the Duwamish Head Greenbelt. In a statement, City Attorney Pete Holmes said a Seattle Department of Transportation arborist received word in January of tree cutting on public property. The attorney's letter was written Feb. 5, a week before SDOT and parks employees went out and found that approximately 150 trees had been felled, according to Holmes.
In a separate statement, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who represents West Seattle, said that Holmes' office has assured her that both civil and criminal sanctions will be under consideration.
The letter came from an attorney, Clayton P. Graham, with the prestigious Davis Wright Tremaine firm. Graham wrote that the work, carried out by a contractor, "in a manner that does not reflect my client's respect for the City or the Parks Department." The client lives on 35th Avenue Southwest near the city property and was not the only participant in the cutting, according to the letter.
