This letter is about the removal of Hamlet’s Main Street dwarf pear trees.

A city with an array of trees creates charm and a warm-feeling environment that will likely attract business.

Why pick on Main Street, the only tree-lined street in downtown Hamlet? It’s the street that the N.C. Urban/Community Forestry Department applauded in 2002 when Hamlet became a Tree City USA; the street that has hometown charm. Most cities are adding trees to beautify (and for many other benefits), not removing them.

The city administration has not shown the progress that was expected. We still have a blaring need to clean up Hamlet. Don’t they realize that the citizens of Hamlet want a cleaner, more attractive, less junky town?

Hamlet has ordinances on the books for making improvements, but they are not being enforced. Other small towns do it. Why can’t Hamlet?

Too many poor decisions are made at City Hall. One of the most obvious was the railroad museum situation.

Another was ridding Hamlet of the Tree Preservation and Beautification Board. As a result, Hamlet will soon be stripped of its prestigious six-year Tree City USA designation. The mayor took office and his first “achievement” was to “scrub” the Tree Board. He never looked into the board’s achievements, and the service that was rendered to Hamlet by a hard-working group of volunteers, but instead joined in the vendetta against the Tree Board.

Another poor judgment, City Hall was not appreciating a talented, dedicated, hard-working horticulturist, who is also a certified ISA registered arborist. The city refused to recognize his certification.

City Hall has made one more damaging decision for Hamlet - destroying the trees on Main Street. I believe that was a terrible, wasteful mistake.

Barbara Thomas

Hamlet