To the editor:

We have lived in our house for over 10 years. We bought our house because of the great view, the ease of walking to town and the great neighbors.

Our view is now being taken away because of people wanting to beautify their yards by planting trees.

Now, I have no problem with beautiful yards in Langley. In fact, we should all have great-looking yards, being upstanding citizens of our great town. But when the small trees grow to encroach on someone’s view, it ought to be stopped.

We ought to have an ordinance within the town that states “no yard plants will be taller than the house that is on the property.”

Even this restriction will continue to block some views, but we can start there.

This means that all the trees that are now taller than the houses that dwell on the properties within Langley will have to be topped to the appropriate height, or else removed.

There can be no “grandfathering” of existing trees that are too tall. Those trees are already doing the damage.

We want a great city, but with that comes the responsibility of not doing damage to the rights of its citizens.

I don’t want to be a lone standard bearer, so please, if your views have been blocked by trees put up by your neighbors, please e-mail our mayor with the suggestion that he adopt an ordinance limiting the height of trees within our fair city.

Rick H. Smith

Langley