Resident says Miami County crews stripped windbreak; commissioners request staff follow-up

Steven Grau told the Miami County Commission on Aug. 13 that county forces had stripped the limbs and removed trees he planted as a windbreak along the front of his property, and he asked the commission for relief.

Grau said the planting included about 50 trees dating to 1995 that formed a windbreak along the right of way. He described the trees as being "one foot behind and 10 feet away from the edge of the road," and said a drop line from the tree limb was 10 feet from the shoulder of the road. He told the commission he received no prior notice that county crews would cut the trees and that cleanup has not been performed; he said the county told him the area would be mowed or brush-hogged rather than restored. "That tree line was my security," Grau said, describing the windbreak as important to his mental-health coping as a veteran.

After the public comment, Commissioner Bohn said the commission should obtain details from county staff, determine whether the work was within right-of-way maintenance practice or an error, and provide a formal response to Grau. "I would like a little bit more detail from the county side as to what was done," Bohn said, adding that an explanation or an apology where appropriate would be suitable and that staff should follow up so the resident does not leave without a response.

Commissioners expressed sympathy and asked staff to "dig in" and report back; the meeting record shows a request for staff detail and a response to the resident but no formal motion, financial remedy, or policy change was adopted during the Aug. 13 meeting.

The transcript includes varying references to the road names and to the person raising the complaint; the article uses the spelling Steven Grau as stated when he identified himself to the clerk during public comment.