FOHB: Help Libby and Daniel Pay Unjust Pruning Penalties

Dear FOHB supporters,

We need your help. Libby Sinclair, Hidden Beach’s custodian, and Daniel Collins, a FOHB volunteer who helped with pruning, have been hit with hefty fines by the City of Seattle for necessary pruning work that was undertaken at Hidden Beach. Here’s the story:

Last September, Daniel volunteered to prune some trees at the street end. He addressed issues identified in a survey two years ago, such as diseased limbs, cracked branches, a dead tree, and small evergreens with girdled trunks. This work was crucial for the health and safety of our beloved street end, but the city had not allocated any future funds for street-end maintenance north of I-90 for the foreseeable future.

However, Daniel was unaware that the city rules had changed recently, and while his pruning did not cause any damage, it violated new regulations regarding branch dimensions and permits. (For more details see: The Dirt on Pruning)

In December, Libby and Daniel received three violation notices each. Libby was cited for hiring an unapproved contractor, and Daniel was cited for performing commercial tree work without certification and a permit. The tree at the center of this issue was already dead and simply pruned hard for safety.

As the notifications were issued during the holiday season, Libby and Daniel struggled to respond in a timely manner, missing the return date. As a result, Libby was fined $5,000 and Daniel was fined $16,000. These fines are not appealable and have had to be paid.

Libby and Daniel have done their best to act in the FOHB community's interest, but the SDCI has treated them very harshly, leaving them demoralized and out of pocket. We are now asking for your support to help them cover these unjust fines and continue the commitment to improving our neighborhood.

Thank you for your generosity and support.

PS - Any funds raised above the $21,000 will be put towards the Restore Hidden Beach landscaping fundraiser.