City offers reward for convicting tree vandals

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

KUHN

McMinnville officials voted Tuesday to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the damage of a major city planting project at Angels Bridge.

That action came after urban forester Nick Kuhn informed city leaders of the amount of labor involved in getting the trees established when about 80 trees were planted there with the assistance of grant funds two years ago.

Kuhn said while it would cost about $4,000 to replace the 35 trees that were either cut or chopped last week, the city has invested at least $10,000 into the beautification effort.

The project was labor-intensive, Kuhn indicated, after Mayor Royce Davenport asked for the value of labor and the trees themselves.

City officials voted unanimously to offer the reward. City Administrator Herb Llewellyn later said the city has offered similar rewards in past vandalism cases and such rewards do help investigators gather information.

City officials urge anyone with information to call police at 473-3386.