You can thank me later

For a few months I've grunted and grumbled while running on the H&B because of all the low hanging branches that threaten my health as I mostly run the it in the dark. I've told my running mates I was going to email the Mayor a million times. Well... I finally did.

FROM ME ON FRIDAY AROUND 6:30PM:

Dear Mayor Wynn,

It is my understanding that you are a runner. As a fellow running enthusiast, I enjoy using the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail multiple times a week. In fact, I run on the trail no less than 4 times a week, sometimes as many as 7 times a week starting between 5:30 and 6AM.

If you have run the Hike and Bike(H&B) trail in the last 4 or 5 months, you have undoubtedly noticed that many trees have grown considerably this year. I, along with hundreds, if not thousands of other Austinites use the H&B trail at dawn, dusk, and even well before sunrise, and have to continuously swerve, run into oncoming runner's path's, or duck way down to avoid many of them.

There are a few dozen trees that are in severe need of some trimming. Specifically, on the south side the 1/2 mile past the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue heading West, and almost the entire north side of the trail from MoPac to I-35 has very low hanging branches.

I figured they'd eventually get taken care of, but it's now fall, and nothing has been done, so the purpose of my email is very simple. Could you please be so kind as to dispatch a couple of city crews with landscaping/trimming equipment on to the trail to cut off the branches that hang well below 8 feet?

Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Best regards,
*My name here*
*My address and contact info here*

HIS REPLY AT 8:25PM

Thanks for the reminder Mike; Agreed and will do.

Regards,
Will Wynn

ps In addition to the $1.7 million council approved earlier this month for the engineering and design of the 'Riverside Boardwalk' (mile-long linkage east of the Statesman property), we also funded four trail lighting projects to light the most problematic stretches of the trail a couple of hours a day pre-dawn and post-dusk.

HIS ASSISTANT'S REPLY AT 12:18AM

Mike,

I've asked the Parks Dept. director to send a crew out next week to look at the areas you mentioned.

Thanks for the heads-up on this.

-Matt

Executive Assistant
Austin Mayor Will Wynn

You can thank me later.