By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

A committee of five is busily studying a proposed tree protection ordinance in hopes of making recommendations to the county Planning Commission soon.

Developer Jeff Ellis, arborist/landscape architect Tim Thoms, environmentalist Dennis Chase, engineer Lawrence Otwell Sr., resident Connie Hayes and county extension agent Sheldon Hammond were named to the study committee recently by the Planning Commission.

Planning Commission members have spent several months poring over proposed changes to county laws that require tree retention and replacement at development sites, and will discuss the matter again during a work session Thursday at 7 p.m. in suite 210 at the Fayette County Administrative Complex.

Members hope to have three more workshops with the study committee before making final recommendations to the county Board of Commissioners in January.

Among changes recommended by county engineer Kirk Houser, commissioners are considering increasing the required total diameter of trees retained or replaced on construction sites, plus giving more weight to existing trees retained than for new trees planted.

The idea, said Houser, is to encourage retention of older, larger native trees, and discourage the bulldozing of all trees on construction sites, replacing them with smaller, younger ornamental trees.

Also on the agenda Thursday, Planning Commission members will discuss proposed changes to the county subdivision regulations and development regulations. The regulations govern everything from pavement thickness to the storm drainage methods in local subdivisions and other developments.

Following the discussion Thursday, the planning panel may act on the regulations at its Dec. 2 meeting, then pass them on to the County Board of Commissioners for final action.